Candle Connection

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A glimpse behind the scenes in the candle wars.

Coinciding with the growth of the Internet was a proliferation of candle companies specializing in natural wax candles. One explanation for this is that the Web offered an accessible venue outside conventional distribution channels to reach consumers open to such products. The collective success of those online chandlers’ marketing efforts can be seen in the ever-increasing presence of natural wax candles on the shelves of small and large retailers throughout the country.

For many people the appeal of the candles these companies produce is that they are not made from paraffin, a petroleum byproduct. But a desire to reduce the world’s dependence on oil or to be an eco-friendly consumer is only part of the equation; natural wax candle fans also appreciate not having to breathe in soot and toxins while they enjoy the simple pleasure of burning a candle.

This feature particularly resonates with those who regularly use aromatherapy candles to help them relax or meditate. To them the prospect of breathing a mixture of pure essential oil and petrochemical fumes fails to please. A growing number of homeowners and rental property owners are also becoming aware of the upside of burning natural wax candles as word of the “ghosting” phenomenon, often associated with soot build-up on walls and furniture as a result of frequent paraffin candle usage, spreads.

From the outset natural wax candle makers aggressively touted the features and benefits of their wares while criticizing the shortcomings of paraffin candles. At first established candle manufacturers were either unaware of the slurs against their products or simply ignored them. But as the chorus grew and natural wax candles started to become more popular, a major candle industry association felt compelled to publish on its website a defense of paraffin candles that contained a slam against soy wax candles, which noted, among other things, that chemical solvents are used in their manufacture.

In a classic example of strange bedfellows, a large palm wax candle company now uses the same argument about soy candles to differentiate its products as the most eco-friendly available. Neither competitor has tried to suggest that soy candles aren’t good products per se, they just use this fact to diminish the public persona of soy candles to their advantage.

Whether any of this really matters to consumers is difficult to gauge. How many of the relatively few people exposed to soy candles’ “dirty” little secret will care since it doesn’t affect them directly? After all, soy candles do in fact burn virtually soot and toxin free, which is why they buy them.

Conclusion: It’s tough shopping green when there are so many shades of gray.

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Beware, we are tempting foodies with chocolate, coffee and bakery scented candles.

In the early days of wicksworks.com, one of our main product categories featured candles that were replicas of various foods and beverages. Unfortunately, several years ago the person who made those candles for us retired and we were unable to find someone to take her place. Albeit on a smaller scale, we are once again able to offer some cool faux food candles on our new Chocolate, Coffee and Bakery Scented Candles page, whose name we shortened to Candles For Foodies on the navigation menu of all our pages so it would fit better.

Chocaholics, coffee junkies and anybody with pleasant memories associated with smelling something yummy baking in the oven will enjoy these new additions. Both the chocolate and coffee scented candles are housed in a stylish glass mug, respectively mimicking a cup of hot chocolate or coffee. The chocolate candles are available with a choice of three scent blends and the coffee candles with a choice of five. The bakery scented candles are fashioned after a Bundt cake. They come in eight different mouth-watering fragrances. Please don’t hate us for tempting you with deep discounts for purchases of one candle of each scent in any one category or a coffee and bakery scented candle gift set.

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A lesson from a coworker that changed my life.

Back in the late 1980s I worked with a single middle-aged woman in Honolulu who had moved there from Brockton, Massachusetts the previous year with no safety net or plan other than “to follow my bliss.” Amazingly, Mary Lou enjoyed a smooth transition despite widespread prejudice against women and mainlanders by employers in Hawaii. I have heard it said that the people and experiences you encounter in life forever change you. In some indefinable way, I suspect being exposed to Mary Lou’s positive experience played a part in my own decision years later to realize a life-long dream of owning a candle store by creating a retail website specializing in candles.

Having previously learned HTML in order to create personal web sites for myself and others, I was able to put together the first incarnation of wicksworks.com on a shoestring. If you could go back in time to view it, the website would be hardly recognizable both in appearance and product content. Perhaps the most difficult aspect of this undertaking was finding suppliers. Before Google, searching the Internet was very unfriendly and tedious. But I was on a mission and eventually tracked down a small group of candle manufacturers willing to do business with a newbie.

During my campaign to find candle suppliers, I serendipitously learned of an opportunity to become a distributor for a then-relatively new company that dealt exclusively in highly scented candles made from natural waxes. The downside of this venture was that I wouldn’t be allowed to sell their candles online (that is no longer the case), so I initially passed on it because that did not fit my business model. But the idea captured my attention and I kept being pulled back to it.

Eventually my interest was piqued to the extent that I sought out a distributor and bought a candle. I was so impressed by the strong-smelling, clean-burning candle I received that I decided to become a distributor even though I didn’t have a clear idea at the time how I would market them. With that decision my candle business expanded beyond the virtual realm and gained the potential of building a profitable network of fellow distributors.

In case you’re wondering about it, I am not trying to be coy by not mentioning the name of these candles. Although they are quite well known, I am restrained by the company from using their name online as a quality control measure. However, I can tell you their initials are M.B., the English translation of their name from Italian is My Beautiful, and you can satisfy your curiosity and even buy some by visiting my independent distributor website.

All in all, my adventure has worked out well. It is my hope to pay Mary Lou’s lesson forward by encouraging you to follow your bliss as well.

Visit WicksWorks Candle Emporium or Easy Fun Home Based Candle Business

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