Whispering Oaks Retreat LLC

03/02/2026

Yesterday we made the drive down the old road to the edge of the woods to visit The Candle Keeper. The last snow was melting along the fence line, the smell of cedar and smoke heavy in the air. They was splitting wood behind the cabin, steady rhythm like a heartbeat.

We told them about the Maple Festival this coming weekend... the bustle, the syrup, the families who always ask if he’ll send his Lantern Glow shortbread cookies again. They nodded, calm as ever, and said only,
“There will be enough.”

We talked teas after that, deciding which blends might suit the hint of spring in the air. When we mentioned the biscotti, he looked down at his hands for a moment and quietly said,
“I need more time.”

Maybe there will be biscotti, maybe not. With them, time decides.
What we know for sure: there will be lantern light, the smell of sugar and butter, the taste of maple and patience.
Come find us at the festival this weekend... and move gently through the glow.

02/28/2026

🕯️ The Candle Keeper’s Tea Collection Has Arrived.

After months of quiet work, the first Candle Keeper Tea Experience boxes are ready.

Each one is hand-packed with care... a small ritual waiting to be unwrapped.

🕯️ Special offer for our followers.
These are not available on our online store yet.

We currently offer 20 different kinds of tea, with more unique blends being added all the time.

Inside every box:
• First Steep Guide... a simple companion for your tea ritual
• Discovery Checklist... to track your favorites
• A hand-chosen assortment crafted for calm and discovery

🌿 Discovery Pack – $18 (Shipping Included)
18 different teas... A full exploration across fruit, herbal, green, and black blends.

🔥 Candle Keeper Collection – $24 (Shipping Included)
20 teas, including Honey Fruit and Midnight Cabin ... deeper, richer, and more indulgent.

No subscription. No pressure. Just intention and tea.

Message us to reserve yours. This first release is limited.

02/26/2026

We’ve had a lot of questions about the easiest way to order tea from us... so here it all is in one place!

Ways to Order:
🕯️ Order Online
Shop anytime through our online store... quick, simple, and shipped right to you.
www.payhip.com/thecandlekeeper

🕯️ Local Pickup (No Shipping Fees)

📍 Love Light Heart Soul
223 Main St W, Girard, PA 16411

📍 Daisy’s Gift Shop & Designs
1116 Bridge St, Ashtabula, OH 44004

🕯️ Message Us Directly
If you’d rather keep it simple, just send us a message with:
• What you’d like
• Your mailing address

You can pay through Venmo, CashApp, or PayPal.
We’ll send one invoice for your order total and a separate invoice for the exact shipping cost... and we always package in the most cost-effective way possible to help keep shipping down.

📦 Orders over $50 ship free.

🕯️ Coming Soon! Our Candle Keeper Variety Pack Tea Bundle... it includes shipping and is a wonderful way to try multiple blends at once.

🕯️ Coming soon: Monthly Tea Subscription

One set price.
One shipment per month.
Different teas each time.
Free shipping included.

We’re also thinking there will be a Basic and a Premium package option, so you can choose the experience that fits you best.
More details soon. ☕

However you choose to order, we’re so grateful for your support.
Message us anytime... we’re always happy to help you find your next favorite blend. 🕯️

02/25/2026

So much is happening right now 😁

We’re still cleaning and getting the hidden space ready for our upcoming Tea Blending Workshop. It’s coming together little by little. We’re hoping to launch around Mother’s Day… but don’t tell anyone, that part’s still a secret 😉

In a few days we’ll be heading out to see the Candle Keeper, so keep an eye out for that update. We have to fill them in on the Maple Festival in Jefferson (March 7–8). We’ll be there, and yes… that means we’ll absolutely need cookies.

And rumor has it there might be something new coming out of that cabin oven.

We keep hearing whispers about biscotti.

If that’s true, we’re going to need extra. Just saying.

More updates soon 🕯️

02/22/2026

We’ve had quite a few people asking where they can come shop in person, so we figured it was time to put everything in one spot 😊

First, you can always shop with us online anytime at:
www.payhip.com/thecandlekeeper

If you’d rather browse in person, we have two Candle Keeper tea cart locations:

📍 Love Light Heart Soul
223 Main St W, Girard, PA 16411

📍 Daisy’s Gift Shop & Designs
1116 Bridge St, Ashtabula, OH 44004

Stop in, take your time, read the labels, and see what speaks to you. If you ever need help choosing a blend, just message us. We’re always happy to point you in the right direction 🕯️

02/22/2026

Today is just about being real for a minute.

The amount of support you all have shown us over the last day has honestly been overwhelming. The messages, the comments, the encouragement… it’s meant more than I can really put into words. We’re grateful. Truly. Thank you for sticking with us and following along on this journey.

We’re going to keep doing what we do. And for those of you who continue to support us, we wanted to share a little of what happens behind the scenes 🙂

This morning we went to visit the Candle Keeper. We’ve got five orders to fill and we’re heading to a networking mixer tomorrow, so it was a full morning. Today we didn’t use AI for anything. What you’re going to see are actual photos from the cabin. We can’t show too much out of respect for privacy, but these are real glimpses of the workbench where everything comes together.

I tried to get a photo of the wood-burning oven that’s used to bake the products everyone loves… that was shut down pretty quickly 😂 So you’ll have to imagine that part.

The Midnight Cabin tea blend is sitting on the workbench right now, resting. It has to sit for 24 hours before it goes into tea bags. And here’s something I didn’t know until today: it has to be blended in a non-metal bowl because metal can affect the taste. That came straight from the Candle Keeper.

The Lantern Glow shortbread cookies are a whole process too. They cool for a full hour before we package them so we can bring them home and vacuum seal them properly.

There was talk of a new baked good coming and we are excited what they come up with.

More soon. And again, thank you. We see you. 🕯️

02/21/2026

Our second location is open 🙂

02/20/2026

I honestly didn’t think we would ever have to explain this, but here we are.

We’re a small business. We shouldn’t have to defend ourselves, but I’m going to clear this up once and then move forward.

Yes, there is a real person we refer to as the Candle Keeper. They don’t call themselves that. That’s a name we use. They’re a longtime family friend, someone who has been part of our life since I was a baby. They’re close enough to us that my dad convinced them to leave the area we all grew up in Pennsylvania and move to Andover, Ohio, where we live now.

They live off grid. They live off the land. They’re older, private, and they do things the old way. By hand. That’s not a marketing gimmick. That’s how they live.

When we started this business, we saw an opportunity to help them supplement their income. So we began purchasing what they make and bringing it to retail. The name, the story, the mystery around “The Candle Keeper” grew from that. It’s a creative way to share something real in a way that feels meaningful and different.

Do we use ChatGPT to help us write posts and tell the story better? Yes. I’m not ashamed of that. It’s a tool. Just like a camera is a tool. Just like a website is a tool. But the story itself is not made up.

Everything they make is done the old way. Even tea. And for the items they don’t personally make, they’re still involved. They ask where it’s sourced, what the ingredients are, how it’s processed. If it doesn’t meet their standards, we don’t carry it. There’s a full approval process before anything gets attached to our name.

Are we trying to move toward more products that are fully made by them? Absolutely. That’s the goal. Until then, we’re transparent about the fact that some items are sourced, carefully selected, and approved by them before we bring them to you.

It’s disappointing that a small business trying to do something creative has to defend itself because of assumptions and rumors. But we’re not hiding anything. We’re not running a cult. We’re not recruiting for anything strange. We’re building something local, honest, and story driven around a real person who values doing things the slow, traditional way.

That’s it. That’s the truth.

Now we’re going back to focusing on making good products and serving the people who actually want to be here.

Tony

02/20/2026

🕯️ A quick clarification about our “hidden space.”

We’ve seen the comments. Some of them made us laugh. Some of them were… creative.

Let’s clear something up.

There is no cult.
No witchcraft recruitment.
No secret society applications being reviewed.

We’re preparing a quiet workspace so the Candle Keeper can teach us how to properly host our upcoming build-your-own tea blending classes.

That’s it.

The Candle Keeper prefers to stay behind the scenes. That mystery is intentional. It’s part of the story. But at the end of the day, they are simply the one who blends, tests, and refines the teas and small-batch goods you see at our craft shows and tea carts.

We’re cleaning and organizing because before we can teach you how to blend, we have to be taught correctly ourselves.

This takes time.

The goal?
Small, hands-on tea blending classes. Thoughtful. Intentional. Limited seats.

And if we can convince the Candle Keeper, possibly more classes in the future based on the off-grid skills they practice daily.

No robes required.
Just tea.

More soon. 🕯️

02/18/2026

Not quite ready.

The space we found needs more than a sweep and a candle.

There’s dust from construction. Shelves to wipe down. Floors to scrub. Corners we didn’t notice the first time.

Before anything can be taught here, it has to be built properly.

So we’re rolling up our sleeves.

Progress takes work 🕯️

02/18/2026

So excited for Daisy’s Gift Shop & Designs! 🛍️✨
And we’re even more excited to share that The Candle Keeper’s Tea Cart will be arriving soon.
Tea, mystery, and something warm waiting for you in the Harbor. Stay close. 🍵🕯️

Please help us get the word out about our business! We really appreciate the support and to show that we will be offering a 15% discount on your next purchase as well as a chance to enter a raffle for a $35 gift certificate! So please SHARE SHARE SHARE! 😁✨️