Yankee Candle's flagship store in Deerfield
A wagon ornaments the yard of Yankee Candle Village in Deerfield (to the left) and the candle making museum inside the store. All Photos/C. Danko © 2001-2009
Riding up to Yankee Candle's flagship store in Deerfield, Mass., I was expecting candles and was expecting that they would be done well. After all, Yankee Candle is known for its fresh scents and homey decorations.
What I wasn't expecting is that the store would go on - room after room - with new surprises and themes. I felt I had entered into something of a cross between Santa's Workshop, Martha Stewart's kitchen, an old-fashioned country store, and Willy Wonka's secret lab.
Directions around Santa's Village
A toy train at Yankee Candle
It started with a country store theme, but as I wandered further back, it turned into a child's fairytale land. In the country store section, just about every local and fringe culinary brand was represented. There were syrups, seasonings, aprons, linens, and decorative pie dishes. A "countdown to Christmas" calendar and a toy train circling around the ceiling rafters gave a hint of the Christmas-themed rooms that awaited further back. Department 56 villages lined the walls. At one point I wandered into the "Black Forest of Bavaria" with a giant snow-covered Christmas tree, and signs pointing to Kringle Market, Nutcracker Castle, and Mrs. Claus' Bakery.
There was also a science to it all. Mixology beakers let you experiment with combining candle scents. A "Per-scent-ality" test matched up personality a profile with your favorite scent. As I wandered from room to room, I couldn't shake the feeling that any moment I was going to enter into a forbidden room where I would drink an experimental liquid and start to fly like Charlie and his grandpa in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. The candle-making museum exhibited the history of candle-making, including 19th century methods.
The store, of course, had its share of candles. One long warehouse-style room displayed row after row of Yankee Candles' flavors. Yankee Candle's website claims that it's the world's largest candle store.
Yankee Candle Village is located in Deerfield, which is a few miles off of Route 2 in Pioneer Valley in Western Massachusetts. It is off Exit 24 on I-91. At the exit, head north on Route 5 & 10.
