BY CATHY JETT

Valeria and Don Marchiselli took a chance when they opened a Scentchips store nearly two years ago in downtown Fredericksburg.

Now they're looking for someone to take over the business at 815 Caroline St. so they can return to Brazil and open a Scentchips factory. It would be the company's third factory; the others are in San Antonio and Australia.

"This store is doing so good, and the response from our customers has been so good that we're going to take a big chance, an even bigger one than opening a store in an economy like we're going through," said Valeria Marchiselli.

She said that Brazil's economy is expanding, and there are no comparable products there to Scentchips, molded wax chips available in a wide variety of fragrances. They can be used either as potpourri or melted in a warmer.

The Marchisellis discovered the company at its first factory, located in historic La Villita in downtown San Antonio, while on vacation.

"Of course, at the beginning when they gave us the whole spiel about how long it lasts and how there are no chemicals, I was like, 'We'll see.' When we got home and used it, I fell in love."

A few months later, Valeria Marchiselli quit her job at Wachovia and opened her own Scentchips store, one of 25 in the United States. The company also has distributorships in Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Europe, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, and South Africa.

Marchiselli said her business has been profitable, and she has a lot of local repeat customers.

If they can't find a buyer for the store, she and her husband will close it at the end of the month, which is when their lease is up and they head back to Brazil. Anyone interested in taking over the business can contact her at 540/310-0001.

Cathy Jett: 540/374-5407
Email: cjett@freelancestar.com