Aug. 26, 2026

Autumn is Melissa Coulter’s favorite time of year, and as far as she’s concerned, that season starts after July 31.

That’s when her business, Simply Scented, starts producing favorite fall aromas, quickly followed by those of the December holidays.

“After July 31, it’s fall season, and I’ve made a lot of Halloween and fall ones,” said Coulter, who produces scents for cars and other small spaces. “When September starts, I’ll make more Christmas ones.”

Simply Scented creates long-lasting car freshies, car tins, vent clips and other products and recently added hand-poured soy candles and wax melts. The Brookings-based business will be one of almost 40 vendors with handcrafted products to sell at this Saturday’s 605 Made Night Market.

Coulter started making “good-smelling things” almost four year ago. She puts the aroma beads and colorful micro-powder into molds and bakes them. The result is “six to eight weeks guaranteed of good smells in your car,” she said.

She likes to put funny sayings and pictures on her freshies, sometimes adding a checky twist to her messages. Clip-on vents offer an option for people who don’t want to hang items from their car’s rearview mirror.

Coulter started her business after buying a car freshener at a vendor show.

“I thought, I could make this; I’m pretty crafty,” she said. “I always like to do crafting. I’ve done multiple crafts.”

After checking other car fresheners found on Etsy, Coulter discovered the options were limited for people who wanted hand-painted fresheners. After researching it, she bought a kit and started producing her own, using trial and error.

“There was a lot of error at first,” she admits. “I learned I had to measure things out, and they have to cure for a while.”

When it comes to the car tins she produces, Coulter uses cutouts for the lids. The tin cans fit in a car’s center console, in a cupholder or under the seat. She puts little charms in the tins to make them artsier, she said.

Coulter’s freshies aren’t limited to cars. They can be put between garbage cans and their liners, tucked in hockey and gym bags, added to closets and lockers — “it’s your preference,” Coulter said.

The freshies come in dozens of fragrances and can be customized, and candles have a list of 65 scents. Men prefer scents like the one dubbed Black Ice or Hollister Jake or another called Mahogany Teakwood. Women  seek out fragrances like those that can be found at Bath & Body Works such as A Thousand Wishes and Pink Fantasy. A scent called Warm Vanilla Sugar also has fans.

“That’s popular, but people want more of a perfumy smell over the vanilla, which I find interesting,” Coulter said. “We have a lavender sage that’s popular too.”

Coulter creates the freshies in her garage. A program assistant at South Dakota State University, she also is taking classes there while raising her football-playing son. The hours spent working on Simply Scented products is her “me time,” Coulter said.

Son Emerson sometimes joins her in the garage, creating his own scented freshies. Coulter limits her attendance at vendor shows to weekends, after taking much of the summer off for family time.

“Come September, every weekend until the first week in December, I’ll be at a show,” she said. “I try to only sprinkle in a handful of two-days shows. Otherwise, there’s not time to recoup and restock.”

Even if they don’t need a car freshie, Coulter wants people to spend time at her booth and enjoy the humor she puts into her crafts.

“I want them to just chuckle when they stop by our booth,” she said. “People are giggling and cracking up over some of the funny ones, saying it’s perfect for so-and-so. It’s a unique gift you’ll not find anywhere else.”

The 605 Made Night Market is free to attend. The annual event will run from 3 to 9 p.m. Saturday in the Raven parking lot at Sixth Street and Phillips Avenue. It features local makers, chefs and performers.

The event is co-organized by Sew Doggy Boutique and SiouxFalls.Business. Sponsors are The First National Bank in Sioux Falls, Active Generations, Dakota Business Finance and Dow Rummel Village. It will feature almost 40 vendors and five food trucks.

For a full guide to the event, click below.

Here’s your guide to shopping, food, entertainment at Saturday’s 605 Made Night Market