Focus
on Coop Suppliers:
Light Up the Winter Night
by Suzanne Fisher
February is the month for
celebrating hearts and those in our hearts. If you are looking for a
different way
of making Valentine’s Day special, consider a light-bearing gift that
is sure
to enhance any celebratory experience: candles. Candles
are a
symbol of a simpler existence, they are calming, and they shed a
beautiful light
on everything and everyone around them. Not all candles are created
equal,
however. Steve Briere, owner of local Bennington Candles,
offers
some very special candles for shoppers at Honest Weight. His candles
are scented
with natural essential oils of herbs and spices in different
combinations to
provide fragrances that heighten the spell cast by candlelight. They go
by various
names, such as Peace, Romance, Joy, Calming, Spiritual and Fire.
Steve makes both paraffin
and soy
wax candles in a selection of colors corresponding to the fragrance
combinations of the oils. He produces a 20-oz. pillar, a half-pillar, a
6-oz.
tincontainer, and a 2-oz. votive candle. Honest Weight carries his
paraffin
half-pillar and his soy wax tin-container candles. When he pours the
wax by hand
into the molds, Steve allows it to cool slowly, which creates a lovely
two-toned effect.
A paper core is used in
the interior
of the wicks of the softer (tin and votive) candles, instead of the
industry-standard
lead or zinc wire. Metal cores are used in candles sold in containers,
such as
decorative jars or votives, because of the way these candles burn.
(Without a
core, the wicks collapse under the melted wax and will not burn.)
Burning wicks
with lead or zinc cores releases these elements into the air, which is
certainly not a desirable effect if you are then breathing in that same
air or
have food nearby, or if residual particles land on the surfaces in your
home.
Many imported candles contain these metal cores. Steve’s candles do not.
Before Steve started
making candles,
he knew only that he wanted to leave his career of restaurant
management and
work a 40-hour week with holidays off. With that in mind, he researched
opportunities,
trying to find a product and a niche. He settled on making candles
scented with
aromatherapy essential oils, and began producing in 1996. In October
1997, at
the Boston Gift Show, he was noticed by sales reps who agreed to take
his
candles to retail stores across the country — and his wholesale
business really
took off.
Steve’s business has been
good enough
for him to achieve his goal of the 40-hour work week. He has one other
full-time employee and regular part-time seasonal workers who help out
with the
holiday rush. Bennington Candles recently purchased a 2,500 sq.ft. work
space
for pouring candles. Steve says that he has actually resisted letting
the
business grow larger because he prefers to keep things manageable. Most
of his
customers now are small retail businesses such as gift shops, natural
food
stores, yoga centers and metaphysical stores.
If
you try some of Steve’s handcrafted candles, you will be supporting our
local
economy and reducing the carbon footprint of your life. Enjoy the
fragrance,
the connection with our not-so-distant past, the knowledge that you are
not
releasing toxins into your home — and the gentle, romantic light.
Back to index
|
CoopScoop Home
CoopScoop Archives
Behind the Scoop
Guidelines for Article
Submission
|
