ROCKPORT — Danica Candles, on Route 90 in Rockport near the intersection with Route 17, has closed its retail shop, and wants to share its candles with the community. While the shop is closed, the candle making goes on, albeit with a skeleton crew.

“While trying to figure out what we need to do as parents, business owners and members of the community I remembered something that was said to me last week,” said Cindy Laustsen, who owns the business with her husband, Erik Laustsen. “A local teacher that is a good customer mentioned that he lights a candle every night at dinner with his daughter. He said it encourages conversation and adds an overall ambiance to the dinner. This got us thinking that during this trying time we could maybe do a little something for our community.”

They have been in the candle-dipping business since 1980, when they went to learn the craft in Denmark, at their uncle’s candle factory. In 1982, they opened their business in Maine, and located their production to a new building in 1991 on Route 90.

"In Denmark, where we learned how to make candles, there’s a word for cozy called hygge (who-ga),” said Cindy. “It translates to an overall atmosphere of comfort to which candles are widely regarded as a key ingredient to this Nordic sense of calm.”

Danica Candles is inviting the community to stop by the shop and pick up a packet of hand-dipped tapers.

“We will be putting candles outside of our retail shop by the front door Monday through Friday,” she said. “Please observe a limit of one bag per household. Lets all decompress, enjoy our families, our beautiful surroundings and light a candle at dinner with loved ones.”

They are not asking for anything in return. They want to offer the community “decompression candles.”

“We don't have a stock pile of face masks, hand sanitizer or toilet paper....but we do have candles,” she said.