The owner of Shining Sol Candle Company says he plans to close the company’s Old Town Manassas storefront later this month, ending a nearly 10-year run on Center Street while keeping the business alive online and at its Myrtle Beach location.
Founder Pete Evick, a Manassas native and longtime guitarist for Bret Michaels, announced the decision during a nearly 40-minute livestream in which he described mounting personal debt, burnout, and the ongoing financial strain of operating a staffed brick-and-mortar store.
“This is not Shining Sol going out of business in any way, shape, or form,” Evick said. “I started this thing as an online business.”
Evick said his current plan is to close the Manassas store around Jan. 30, though he emphasized the date is not final and that discussions with the landlord and potential successors for the space are ongoing.
A store that never fully paid for itself
While Shining Sol’s online sales and its Myrtle Beach storefront remain profitable, Evick said the Manassas location has struggled for years to support itself financially. He said he personally carried the store in order to keep employees paid.
“I found myself now almost a quarter million dollars in debt to keep this particular store open,” Evick said. “I just can’t do that anymore.”
Evick said the company took on significant debt during the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent supply-chain disruptions, adding that those impacts are still being felt.
“The supply chain issue following COVID sent us to the brink of destruction, and we kept going,” he said.
He stressed the closure is not driven by anger or a sudden collapse, but by long-term realities.
“There’s zero anger,” Evick said. “There is a relief on me that I haven’t felt in a long, long time.”
Burnout and competing demands
Evick also cited exhaustion from balancing retail operations with an increasingly demanding touring schedule. He said the Bret Michaels band has been busier than ever in recent years, leaving him little time to be physically present at the Manassas shop — something he said is critical for small-town retail.
“These businesses in these small towns only really work financially if they’re run by the owners, not a staff,” Evick said. “If you have a bad week, you just don’t pay yourself. But if you have an employee, you have to pay them.”
Evick said he has gone nearly three years without a day off and described the pace as unsustainable.
“I’m burnt out,” he said. “I’m going to die at this pace. I need to slow down.”
Roots in Old Town Manassas
Shining Sol Candle Company was founded in 2012 as an online business. Evick announced plans to open a brick-and-mortar location in Old Town Manassas in 2016, and the shop officially opened later that year at 9109 Center Street.
The store quickly became a visible part of the downtown business community, earning multiple accolades, including Best New Business and repeated Virginia Living “Best Gift Shop” awards. In 2018, the company was recognized as Manassas Business of the Year and announced a major retail deal to sell its products through Bed Bath & Beyond, along with plans to expand its candle-making operations.
During the livestream, Evick spoke emotionally about the relationships formed downtown and his pride in being part of Manassas’ small-business scene.
“Old Town Manassas has been great. It’s been amazing,” he said. “Feeling like I was part of making it better or more fun — that was exciting.”
What comes next
Evick said Shining Sol will continue operating online and plans to focus more attention on the Myrtle Beach store, which he described as the company’s strongest performer.
“That’s the winning horse,” he said. “Now I have to do that.”
He also said the company is exploring ways to maintain a local presence in Manassas, including offering downtown pickup for online orders through another retailer, such as Black Metal Mercantile, owned by former Shining Sol partner Deron Blevins.
For customers asking how they can help, Evick said the answer is straightforward.
“Buying the candles is what helps,” he said.
While acknowledging that candles are a discretionary purchase, Evick used the moment to reflect on what supporting local businesses really means.
“Put your money where your mouth is,” he said. “That doesn’t mean for me. That means for everybody.”
As the Manassas storefront prepares to close, Evick said he hopes customers remember more than just the products.
“I hope that anyone who ever walked through these doors had some kind of positive experience,” he said. “This store lives forever in our memories.”
