About

Tidings Candle Co. is the shop of Mary T. McCarthy (marytmccarthy.com/about), a lifelong professional writer/editor who serves as volunteer Executive Director of The Beachcombing Center; she is also former Vice President of the North American Sea Glass Association. The motto of the shop is finding treasure in imperfection.

During the pandemic in June 2020, upon learning that local students in the town where Mary lives (Sweet Cider Candles) were selling candles in upcycled containers, Mary asked them to pour candles for her in order to create a line of candles called When’s Low Tide candles, using beach found containers and hiding a beach find in each candle. In December 2020, the first batch of candles was poured in-house at When’s Low Tide, where we continue to add new scents each month.

In 2021, we began pouring monthly subscription candles and in 2022 changed the company name to Tidings and began offering customized candle options so customers can choose their own vessel, scent, and type of hidden treasure. In 2023 we  added handpainted dot mandala candle vessels and also began pouring custom candle designs for small businesses and events. We now pour over 100 scents. 

Photo: Jay Fleming