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Save the Date: Saturday, August 1, noon to 3pm — Summer Scent & Stories: Smoke & Fireflies with Hemlock & Hearth

When: Saturday, August 01, 2026 from 12-3pm

Where: 208 Queen Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314

Buy your ticket: Aug1Hemlock+Hearth.eventbrite.com

Tickets: Start at $17.85

Join us for an intimate, Southern Gothic-inspired mixer featuring books, fragrance, author readings, a summer bloom bar, and candlelit connection.Hemlock & Hearth is an Alexandria-based, small-batch fragrance studio rooted in storytelling, Southern Gothic atmosphere, and the ritual of scent. This event is presented in partnership with the Virginia Scent Society.

About the Event: Scent & Stories is Hemlock & Hearth’s new quarterly literary salon—part mixer, part sensory experience. Smoke & Fireflies is the summer edition, bringing fragrance lovers, readers, and creatives together for an afternoon of author readings, scent exploration, and meaningful conversation.

12–1 p.m. | Arrival & Exploration

Participate in the optional Fragrance Decant & Sample Swap
Create something special at the Summer Bloom Bar
Sample and shop the Hemlock & Hearth fragrance collection
Browse the Long Dark House bookstore pop-up
Reserve a private tarot reading
Order lunch or drinks from Elaine’s

1–1:30 p.m. | Author Readings & Presentations

Enjoy live readings and presentations from three featured independent authors. Author announcements are coming soon.

1:30–3 p.m. | Open Salon & Signings

Meet the featured authors, have your books signed, continue exploring the pop-ups, and connect with fellow guests.

What Your Ticket Includes:

Reserved admission to an intimate afternoon featuring live indie author readings, presentations, and signings
Access to the Hemlock & Hearth fragrance pop-up and Long Dark House indie bookstore pop-up
Optional participation in the Fragrance Decant & Sample Swap
One complimentary 2 oz. Hemlock & Hearth votive candle featuring a custom scent created exclusively for the event
Complimentary light bites while supplies last, with a full lunch and drinks available for purchase from Elaine’s
One raffle ticket for a chance to win a book and candle gift set

Add-Ons Available at the Event:

Summer Bloom Bar
Private tarot readings

About the Fragrance Decant & Sample Swap: Leave your full-size bottles at home! Bring fragrance samples, travel sizes, or decants you’re ready to part with and exchange them with other fragrance lovers in the room—just like our larger community swaps.It’s a wonderful way to discover something new, share scents you no longer reach for, and connect with fellow fragrance lovers. Participation is completely optional.Scent & Stories is a social gathering is an opportunity to meet new people, support small businesses, celebrate indie books and fragrance, and experience summer through scent and story.Candlelight. Soft florals. Pages turning quietly.

Presented in Partnership with Virginia Scent Society: Virginia Scent Society is a growing community of fragrance lovers across the Commonwealth, bringing people together through curated events and shared discovery. From fragrance swaps and custom-blending workshops to elevated social experiences, VSS creates intentional spaces for connection and exploration through scent. Join the Virginia Scent Society community.

Meet the Event Organizer: Chanthal is the founder and creative director of Hemlock & Hearth, an independent Southern Gothic-influenced fragrance house based in Alexandria, Virginia. A longtime fragrance collector and indie perfumery student, Chanthal creates immersive fragrance experiences that blend ritual, storytelling, and atmosphere. Her work is rooted in ritual, memory, and the belief that scent is a portal — to confidence, to nostalgia, to connection.

About Hemlock & Hearth: The company began as a candle and body oil brand in late 2025 and is expanding into fine fragrance in 2026. Chanthal is also developing Long Dark House, a forthcoming DMV indie bookstore and café concept focused on horror, thriller, speculative fiction, and sci-fi — envisioned as a modern third space for readers drawn to the unusual and the experiential.A fragrance collector, hobby writer, avid reader, and gardener, Chanthal draws inspiration from growing up in the South, from family and community, from nature and imaginary and real spaces alike. She is inspired by the unusual, by well-worn books, and by the quiet beauty found in everyday struggle and triumph. She is also an animal lover and proud owner of two rescue dogs, Cocoa Puff and Biscuit, who often keep her company while she formulates and writes.A DMV resident for nearly four years, Chanthal hopes to cultivate a community for those who crave connection & admire the literary, the atmospheric, and the sensory. Her gatherings are designed to feel intimate, layered, and intentional. Hemlock & Hearth is evolving to be more than a fragrance brand, but part of a larger experience rooted in depth, ritual, and meaningful connection. Learn more here: hemlockandhearth.com.