NewsPalm Beach CountyRegion S Palm Beach CountyDelray Beach

Actions

Delray Beach couple collects Bath & Body Works candles

Couple purchases more than 200 candles in 48 hours
Allyson DeFelice shows off Bath & Body Works candle room
Posted
and last updated

DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — Allyson DeFelice likes colorful, pretty things. Her Delray Beach home showcases her love of teal and the beach life.

But it's through the doors of one room in particular that her most prized possessions are carefully displayed. Of them all, Blueberry Pie is her favorite.

"This is how it all started, because I had bought three or four of them and then I went back to buy more and they were all gone," DeFelice said.

Bath & Body Works Candle collection.JPG
This is just some of the more than 200 candles Allyson DeFelice and Andrew Bateman purchased on Candle Day.

She got her start collecting Bath & Body Works candles when her favorite scent was discontinued.

"And so then I went into the deep dark internet looking for it and I started to go down the rabbit hole," she said. "And that was the beginning of the end, I guess."

DeFelice scored big on Candle Day. Pictures on social media showed her haul — and her reluctant helper, fiancé Andrew Bateman.

Andrew Bateman reluctantly holding Bath & Body Works candles
Andrew Bateman was a reluctant accomplice in Allyson DeFelice's Bath & Body Works haul.

They purchased more than 200 candles in 48 hours.

"And not only did she want to get one or two," Bateman said. "She wanted multiples."

Andrew Bateman holds stack of Bath & Body Works candles
Andrew Bateman looks thrilled to be holding a stack of Bath & Body Works candles.

DeFelice and Bateman made several stops that weekend.

"Into the Night was at the top of my list," DeFelice said.

For those who don't understand the candle craze, there are Facebook groups with thousands of members each one proud to post their Bath & Body Works candle collections.

To DeFelice, it's not an obsession, but a hobby.

Allyson DeFelice poses with Bath & Body Works candle Christmas tree display
Allyson DeFelice poses for a photograph in front of her Christmas tree and Bath & Body Works candle collection.

"Some of the rare ones that I look for, I'll trade with other people," she said. "Some of them I give as gifts. Some grow in value, and then someday somebody will be looking for it and ask me if I have extras and, sure, I do."

Bateman said it's no different than the baseball card collection he had as a child.

"It makes her happy," he said. "That's what it's about."

In return for carrying her candles and being a good sport, DeFelice is right there to support her fiance's passion for golf.

"Having fun," Bateman said.

"It's candles, exactly," DeFelice said. "It could be worse."