Candles, home fragrance, gifts and Jellycat stockist – independent shop at Leeds shopping centre

With all the convenience of a shopping centre, but the choice, customer service and friendliness of a local independent shop, Betty Loves Candles is an absolute dream.

From Jellycats to home fragrances, gorgeous gifts for him or her, the perfect card, or a spending money treat, this independently-owned and run shop in The Springs shopping centre, at Thorpe Park, near Leeds, is a firm favourite with families from across Yorkshire – all are welcome, even the dog!

A warm welcome for every customer

Many of us would consider Tania Howe to have the best job in the world – sourcing, buying and selling a range of absolutely gorgeous gifts guaranteed to put a smile on anyone’s face. It’s a ‘lifestyle’ boutique which smells as good as it looks when you walk through the door.

The shop name Betty comes from the name of one of her two dogs (a Standard Schnauzer) and was also her grandmother’s name. Betty, and Tania’s other dog Nelly (miniature schnauzer), can sometimes be found behind the counter too – and ready to welcome other four-legged friends through the door, as well as their owners.

“I absolutely love coming to work,” says Tania, who prides herself on offering a warm welcome and the best customer service to all. “Every day is different, whether it’s meeting regular customers or new ones, sourcing new stock or unpacking orders – it’s like Christmas every day.”

Customer service is not new to Tania. She was one of the first female sales representatives for Land Rover. But after years in the industry, a health scare and battle with breast cancer, and approaching her 50th birthday, she decided her life needed to change.

Her first shop, in Wakefield town centre, opened in 2018 and proved a big hit from the start. Initially she concentrated on home fragrances and scented candles. She sells lifestyle luxuries – the kind of home items which are affordable luxuries, and a welcome self-care treat in a cost of living crisis.

But lockdown after lockdown took its toll on Wakefield’s city centre shopping, and as people became more used to looking online, her footfall dwindled.

Rather than give up, she doubled her efforts! Undeterred she kept the Wakefield shop until the end of its lease, but also took on a shop at The Springs, running both for a year. “It was exhausting, but we managed it!” she says.

Affordable luxuries

The home fragrance selections are still a core part of the business, but have been joined by cards and gifts, Kknekki hair bands, jewellery, Leeds United-themed gifts, accessories for home and car, erasable pens, notebooks, diaries, gift wrap and more.

“If people ask for something and I don’t stock it, my view is there’s a demand for it and I’ll source it,” says Tania, who says she has to keep abreast of what’s trending and what’s new.

Her candles and home fragrances are long lasting and effective, often from the same suppliers as much more pricey luxury brands, but Tania isn’t just about masking scents in a room, but finding something that is long-lasting and effective too.

“Whatever I sell has to be the best quality and a good price,” says Tania, who now has a former customer Donna (and her dog Millie) working alongside her at The Springs. “I sell proper soy candles, with natural scents and no paraffin wax.”

“We all get used to how our home smells, the cooking, the dogs, the smelly trainers just become normal,” she says. So, in addition to home scents, she also specialises in selling stunning Maison Berger lamps.

Air purifying lamps

These compact glass designs, invented in France in the last century, began as air purifiers in hospitals. Water and alcohol break up the molecules in the air, which clump together to lock in bad odours, then a choice of beautiful fragrances is pumped out. Not only do they smell divine, but they look stunning too, with designs based on glamorous scent bottles.

“I love to demonstrate them in the shop,” says Tania. This is just one reason Tania doesn’t sell online. “How can I know if it’s the right thing for a customer if I’ve not spoken to them or met them? And how do they know it’s right if they’ve not had chance to see for themselves, to smell or feel or look?”

Shop with confidence and convenience

Now The Springs, just off Junction 46 of the M1 in Leeds, is her only outlet. Being an outdoor shopping and leisure centre means there’s plenty of free parking, cafes, food outlets, choice of stores and a cinema – something for all the family.

But convenience of location is not the only thing that brings customers from across Yorkshire to Betty’s

Nothing is too much trouble for Tania. Everyone gets a friendly greeting when they walk in and she and Donna are happy to advise and suggest.

Tania says she was lucky to secure a place as a Jellycat stockist at the end of 2023. For a while demand outstripped what Jellycat could supply, but she says they are about to receive a whole new line of stock. Despite the popularity of The Springs, new customers are still finding Betty’s

“There are so many people who shop on The Springs who come in and say they’ve not seen us before,” she laughs. “The last four years have been hard. But my little independent in a big luxury shopping centre is holding its own and I think that’s because the shop is a reflection of me, my personality. It’s kept me fit and its helped my wellbeing. It’s such a pretty environment to be in, and everyone who walks through the door says ‘It smells so good in here,’, and I love that.

“The welcome people get from me and Donna is real, it’s not fake. We love being here and we want our customers to love coming.”

Come and say hello

Come and browse around. Betty Loves Candles is open Mondays to Fridays 9.30am to 6pm; Saturday 9am to 6pm and Sundays 10.45am to 16.45pm.

See more on Betty Loves Candles Instagram account here