Palak JayswalMidvale • Have you ever wondered what the Shire smells like?
Melissa Nagata smells vetiver grass, fresh mint and wildflowers when she thinks of the verdant hobbit haven crafted by author J.R.R. Tolkien.
Nagata, who owns Nerf Herder Co., has made a living off transporting nerdy fans into the worlds that enthrall them — by an olfactory route.
For five years, Nagata has distilled favorite fandoms and characters into enticing smells at her fragrance-based business through candles, mists, wax melts, air fresheners and more.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) A T-shirt stands on display at Nerf Herder Co., a Midvale candle shop specializing in candles inspired by book characters and famous fandoms, on March 23, 2026.
Since 2021, Nagata has shipped her original products to all 50 states, 16 different countries and has had them in 23 bookstores across the nation.
She’s tabled at conventions like FanX, and now, she’s taking her online business to the next level at a storefront in Midvale at 411 W. and 7200 South (Suite 301).
“Having a storefront has been something in the back of my brain almost since I started,” Nagata said. “I literally started working out of our master bedroom and then grew from there.”
The store
The Nerf Herder Co. storefront is cozy, home to rounded bookshelves that display all of Nagata’s products.
The shop’s floor has a green leaf pattern. The gallery wall behind the checkout counter features characters from Sarah J. Maas books, scenes from “The Lord of the Rings,” “Star Wars” and “Pride and Prejudice.”
BB-8 sits on top of one shelf. An R2-D2-shaped mini fridge resides in one corner. Books from Nagata’s own collection sit on the very top of some shelves.
Nagata launched her business after the COVID-19 pandemic. While spending so much time at home, she wanted to make sure her house smelled good, but she found “Bath and Body Works” candles were too strong for her.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Pictures hang on the wall at Nerf Herder Co.
“So I thought, well, everyone and their mom, including my own mom, has tried making candles,” Nagata said, “Maybe I can see what I can do with this.”
Her first scent was inspired by one of her favorite characters from “Star Wars” — Padmé Amidala Naberrie. A blend of Yuzu blossoms and hinoki, the candle pays tribute to the character’s home.
“That was the first one that started everything and I built stuff from there,” Nagata said.
“Star Wars” inspired scents make up the largest collection at Nerf Herder Co. and the far away galaxy even inspired the name of the business. But, Nagata has created fragrances that pay tribute to the 1999 version of “The Mummy,” “Indiana Jones” and “The Lord of the Rings.”
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Nerf Herder Co. is located at 411 W. and 7200 South (Suite 301).
She’s also officially licensed to make products inspired by the bookish worlds of Rebecca Yarros (“Fourth Wing”) and “The Hurricane Wars” by Thea Guanzon.
Her scent dedicated to notorious wingleader “Xaden Riorson” from “Fourth Wing” is a mix of garden mint, leather and neroli. The recipe for the candle comes directly from the pages of Yarros’ book.
The process
Nagata mixes and pours all her fragrances in the office next door to the shop. But figuring out the scent recipes is not a scientific process for her.
“The best way I can put it is it’s just like vibes and aesthetic,” Nagata said. “It’s just looking at the character, how they dress, their personality, and going based on that.”
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Merchandise sits on a shelf at Nerf Herder Co., a candle shop specializing in candles inspired by book characters and famous fandoms, in Midvale on Monday, March 23, 2026.
Nagata uses context clues, like what the characters wear or their physical descriptions. With her more general genre candles, like “cozy romance” or “dark academia,” she thinks about things she associates with those genres.
The dark academia fragrance — chamomile, musk and sandalwood — is “inspired by dimly-lit libraries, Gothic architecture, tweed, plaid and copious amounts of tea.”
“It’s not the kind of thing I feel like I could teach somebody, per se,” Nagata said of her recipe approach.
Right now, she’s working on a new cowboy romance themed scent, and is leaning into leather and suede, inspired by hats, boots, chaps and saddles that are staples in the romance subgenre.
“It’s just kind of a lot of trial and error,” Nagata said.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Merchandise sits on a shelf at Nerf Herder Co., a candle shop specializing in candles inspired by book characters and famous fandoms, in Midvale on Monday, March 23, 2026.
Usually it takes her a few days to perfect a new recipe, but in the case of “Binary Sunset,” inspired by music composed by John Williams and played during the sunset scene in “A New Hope” — she spent nearly three years trying out different combinations.
Nagata said all of her candles are made from soy wax, because it holds onto fragrance better, and each one has a wood wick, which adds a crackling element when they are lit and helps the candles last longer.
The Nerf Herder Co. store is open from Monday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., but hours are subject to change.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Merchandise sits on a shelf at Nerf Herder Co., a candle shop specializing in candles inspired by book characters and famous fandoms, in Midvale on Monday, March 23, 2026.
