Mia Bella, Lawrence

More than a decade ago, Carmen and Lynn Milazzo began making candles in their kitchen. They blended their wax with ingredients such as vegetables and fruits, an experimental alternative to the chemically fragranced candles they'd seen on the market. This hobbyist craft operation has since expanded into the online Mia Bella store. Now, the pair ships more than 100 scented-candle varieties throughout the country, helping customers fill their homes with the aroma of fruits and oven-baked dough without having to paint the walls with pie filling.

Mia Bella's candles burn for at least 60 hours, releasing fragrances distilled from soft wood, South Pacific fruits, baked goods, and fine wines through nearly soot-free palm wax dyed to soft blues, pinks, and bright oranges. Flameless candles disperse scents as they melt above the heat from a low-watt bulb, and candles housed in retro designer jars mingle aromas with potpourri as they burn. Carmen, Lynn, and their staff also mix a range of soaps and lotions from ingredients such as bamboo, lavender, and Japanese pear and grind makeup foundation from natural bismuth ingots.