Watch CBS News

Local Artist Offers A Taste Of Old Detroit

DETROIT (WWJ) - It was a tradition for many Gen-Xers and beyond who grew up in Metro Detroit -- going to the Towne Club store to pick out pop. A local artist is renewing the tradition by making candles that smell like the old flavors.

Robert Jameson uses the original bottles. Where does he find them?

"At garage sales. And, I'll tell you some of the best places to find them are old farms and old barns," Jameson told WWJ Newsradio 950's Sandra McNeil.

"Farmers never throw anything away, so you can always count on an old barn to have at least one or two crates of old pop bottles."

Jameson said that once he finds them he cuts the bottles in half and shines them up a bit.

towne-club-candle
(WWJ Photo/Sandra McNeil)

"We polish the tops and the edges so that no one cuts their fingers on them and then, depending on the scent or the flavor we're going for, we use different color wax and different scents to arrive at candles that kinda of smell like the old Towne Club flavors," he said.

Jameson said they're popular at his stand at Ferndale's Rustbelt market.

"Well, you get a lot of smiles and you get a lot of laughs, and people picking them up and holding them," Jameson said.

"And you can kinda tell by the age cutoff -- you can tell the people that know what they are. Early 30s and below, they just kinda stare at them and they have no idea why they're significant or what they even mean," he said.

Get more information at jamesonhardgoods.com, or you can give Robert Jameson a call at (248) 705-1738.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.