There’s a giant nose in David Montgomery John’s garage. It’s three feet and made of papier-mâché, and he’s dreaming up how to use it in a future storefront display. He imagines it suspended in front of silk chartreuse curtains, illuminated by stage lighting. Maybe he’ll install a smoke machine behind it, billowing fumes in front of the window.

And underneath the nostrils, he’ll bestow candles from his new luxury line, DMJ Home Fragrance.

Made with coconut wax and sturdy cotton wicks, the candles are hand-poured into recycled glass jars and stamped with elegant matte black or gold foil labels. The current lineup of 14 scents leans earthy and moody, evoking a woodsy stroll, pine needles crunching beneath your boots. The brand launched in September and was swiftly swooped up by local stockists like The Queen Bee and March by Shane Griffin Designs.

During pop-up events this fall at boutiques like The Keeping Room, John built Anthropologie-level displays bejeweled with florals, vintage mirrors and floating candle boxes.

He spent about six months conducting market research and tinkering with wicks and waxes, working from a makeshift laboratory he built in his garage.

“I’m very surprised that my nose is not numb,” he says with a laugh. “There was a lot of trial and error.”

John finally landed on a concoction of toxin-free ingredients he says burns for around 80 hours.

His intimate knowledge of chemistry guided him. Up until March, the 30-year-old was studying to become a physician’s assistant. But after nearly six years in medical school, he decided to pursue entrepreneurship instead.

“I left a secure career field to come do this,” John says.

Seated today in his Capital Heights kitchen, he breathes in Velvet No. 43, a candle in a whiskey-colored vessel with notes of black tea, cardamom and fig. He thinks of how his life has changed so much so quickly.

“This lit a different fire in me. I have never known this level of work ethic in myself,” he says.

As his operation has grown, he’s shifted production to an office he commutes to in his hometown of Lafayette. There, he’ll develop new fragrances and plot future releases like soaps and room sprays.

John has also started booking private label clients, collaborating with businesses like Gourmet Girls, Cypress Tents & Events and Lafayette’s Swoon Boutique to launch bespoke candle collections.

 

“Fragrance is meant to evoke memories and feelings.”

[David Montgomery John, founder of DMJ Home Fragrance]

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A self-proclaimed theater kid, he injects just as much drama and meaning into his candles as he does his store displays. Each one is tastefully packaged in a color-coded, letterpress-labeled box.

He’s quick to avoid cliche gourmand flavors or perfumey florals. His answer to a pumpkin candle is the Sweet Pepper 42, infused with hints of vanilla. The Earl Grey No. 14 offers a whiff of jasmine with notes of black tea and bergamot.

Reviewers on his website insist Signature 94’s zesty bergamot aroma is a dupe for cult-favorite Baccarat Rouge 540.

“Fragrance is meant to evoke memories and feelings,” John says. “You get to decide the mood and the vibe of your home—and that’s where I want to contribute.”

This article was originally published in the December 2024 issue of 225 Magazine.