Yankee Candle

Yankee Candle was established in 1969 by Michael Kittredge, a 16-year-old high school student in Holyoke, Massachusetts. Kittredge started the company as a small project after creating a homemade Christmas present for his mother by melting down crayons to make a candle.

Kittredge began selling candles from his family’s home. It was not long before the operation expanded, and the company moved into an old paper mill in Holyoke. By 1974, Kittredge had opened a retail store with a friend and fellow high school student, Maureen Albright, who designed the company’s logo.