A guided DIY workshop is a hands-on creative session where you design, mix, and take home something you made yourself — no experience required and no mess to clean up. Menomonee Falls has one of the strongest candle bar and perfume bar scenes in greater Milwaukee, anchored by Poppy & Thyme right here in the Falls downtown. If you’ve been driving to the east side for this kind of experience, you don’t have to anymore.
Make & Take is published by the team behind Poppy & Thyme, so we cover them with first-hand familiarity. That’s also why they lead every section below — we know the experience from the inside.
Make your own perfume in Menomonee Falls
Poppy & Thyme runs a full perfume and cologne bar out of its downtown Menomonee Falls studio — 0 minutes from the heart of the Falls, right next to a free public parking lot. The session works like this: you sit down at the bar, work through roughly 50 seasonally rotating scents (lavender, strawberry rhubarb, lemon sugar, island mist, amber tobacco, and more), and blend a signature fragrance that’s yours to take home the same day. If the scent you want isn’t on the bar menu, the team can pull from a much larger in-house fragrance library.
There’s no craft experience required. The staff walks you through every step — top notes, base notes, how to balance a blend — and the whole thing typically wraps in under an hour. Pricing runs $12–$35 depending on what you’re making. Walk-ins are welcome any day; if you’re coming on a Saturday, Poppy & Thyme recommends booking ahead since those sessions fill up fast.
Reserve your perfume session at Poppy & Thyme →
Candle bar in Menomonee Falls
Poppy & Thyme’s candle bar occupies a dedicated 250-square-foot space inside the 2,800-square-foot boutique — seats for five at the bar, tables for eight more. You pick your vessel, choose from 16 wax colors, then layer up to two scents from the rotating fragrance menu. Most people keep the wax a natural white and add glitter or botanicals to their snap wax melts; others go bold with color. Either way, the candle is yours to take home once it sets.
Sessions are available for individuals, couples, and small groups. Drop-ins are fine any day of the week — again, Saturday reservations are strongly encouraged. The same $12–$35 pricing scale applies. If you’ve been curious about candle bars in general, this is the Make & Take guide to the full greater Milwaukee scene — but for Menomonee Falls residents, Poppy & Thyme is the obvious starting point.
Book your candle bar session at Poppy & Thyme →
More DIY sessions: wax melts, nail polish & beyond
Candles and perfume get the most attention, but Poppy & Thyme’s bar runs wider than that. Current offerings include custom wax melts, nail polish blending, and seasonal specialty sessions that rotate throughout the year — think holiday scents in winter, fresh florals in spring. The boutique side of the shop stocks handmade bath bombs, soaps, shower steamers, and body products made on-site by a mother-daughter team, so there’s always something to browse while your candle cools.
For the full session menu and any limited-run workshops, check the Poppy & Thyme booking page directly — offerings update seasonally.
Group events, birthday parties & date nights from Menomonee Falls
Poppy & Thyme has been hosting private and after-hours events since the boutique opened, and the dedicated make-and-take bar added real capacity for groups. The seated bar plus overflow tables handle up to about 13 people at a time — workable for a birthday crew, a bachelorette party, a girls’ night, or a low-key corporate team outing. You work through your project together, walk out with something you made, and the whole experience stays under two hours.
A few things worth knowing before you plan:
- Birthday parties: private after-hours bookings available — everyone makes their own candle, perfume, or wax melt.
- Date nights: a candle or perfume session makes a genuinely original date — something you built together, not just a dinner reservation.
- Girls’ nights: the perfume bar in particular runs well as a group — comparing blends is half the fun.
- Corporate events: team-building sessions available; the Falls location is convenient for businesses in Menomonee Falls, Brown Deer, and the northwest Milwaukee corridor.
All reservations and group inquiries are handled through the Poppy & Thyme booking page — no need to call ahead.
Plan your group event at Poppy & Thyme →
The Menomonee Falls Shop Hop — June 16–20, 2026
Once a year, Menomonee Falls downtown turns into a multi-shop guided-DIY event: the Menomonee Falls Shop Hop. The 2026 Shop Hop runs June 16–20, 11:00 am–5:00 pm each day, with participating shops offering hands-on make-and-take stations — candle pouring, perfume blending, stamped totes, pressed flower bookmarks, terrariums, painted votives, and more — spread across walking distance of Appleton Avenue.
Poppy & Thyme participates in the Shop Hop and is one of the anchor stops for scent-focused sessions. If you want to make a full day of it, the downtown district has dining, local boutiques, and one of Menomonee Falls’s well-known mural walks built right into the same footprint. Five days, all walkable, no car-hopping required.
The Shop Hop is a good entry point for people who haven’t tried a guided DIY session before — the drop-in format means you can sample two or three different crafts across different shops in a single afternoon. For a deeper look at what to expect from the different station formats, the Make & Take guide covers them all.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to make a reservation to visit the candle bar at Poppy & Thyme?
Walk-ins are welcome any day of the week. That said, Saturdays get busy — Poppy & Thyme recommends reserving ahead if you’re planning a Saturday visit. All reservations are handled through the Poppy & Thyme booking page.
How much does a session cost?
Pricing at Poppy & Thyme ranges from $12 to $35 depending on the activity. Candle making, perfume blending, wax melts, and nail polish are all priced within that range. Check the booking page for current session pricing and any seasonal offerings.
How far is Poppy & Thyme from other parts of greater Milwaukee?
Poppy & Thyme is located at N88W16726 Appleton Ave in downtown Menomonee Falls — 0 minutes if you’re already in the Falls. From northwest Milwaukee neighborhoods like Granville and Brown Deer, it’s about 5–10 minutes. From downtown Milwaukee or the east side, expect 15–20 minutes. From the south side, plan for 25–30. Free public parking is right next to the shop.
What can I make at the Poppy & Thyme bar?
Current options include custom scented candles, perfume and cologne blends, snap wax melts, and nail polish. Seasonal specialty sessions rotate throughout the year. The full menu lives on the Poppy & Thyme make-and-take page.
Can I take my candle home the same day?
Yes, as long as you leave enough time for the candle to cool and set before the shop closes. Perfumes and nail polish are ready to take immediately after your session. Poppy & Thyme’s current hours are Tuesday–Saturday; check the booking page for exact closing times before you plan your visit.
Is Poppy & Thyme a good option for a birthday party or girls’ night in Menomonee Falls?
Yes — Poppy & Thyme has been hosting private parties and after-hours events since it opened, and the dedicated make-and-take bar handles groups of up to about 13. Birthday parties, bachelorette outings, and girls’ night bookings are all common. Handle everything through the booking page — no phone calls needed.
Is there parking near Poppy & Thyme in Menomonee Falls?
Yes. The shop sits right next to a free public parking lot in downtown Menomonee Falls — easy in, easy out, no meters.