August 27th, 2011 ... So many things have
been happening since I last updated this site. We finally after so many months of testing a variety of
waxes can introduce our perfect natural soy blend wax that produces a much cleaner burn while still allowing
the magnificent scent our candles are known for. Trust me when I tell you this has been a long process. Because
of this change in wax you may notice a slight color variation if compared to our older candles.
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We also after today are moving our retail gift and candle store back to the location where we make our candles
so customers in our local area can once again visit us for all of our great candles, melts, oils, and a huge selection
of home fragrance and home decor items. We'll be reopening there on Tuesday, September 6th at 11am.
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If you make your own candles, potpourri, or bath & body items we offer you
our premium fragrance oils in small and large bottles.
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We
are going to be reviewing our sales once again and plan to streamline our product offerings in both the size and style of
jars as well as the different fragrances we offer. We still find after all these years that our top 30 fragrances will
account for at least 80% of our sales so many fragrances will be discontinued in the near future. Because we use various
oils to make our custom blends some fragrances may be just be moved to a special order list that will add a day or two
extra processing time.
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I will also be reviewing our shipping policy to
determine if we will still be able to offer our candles with the shipping included when you order certain quantities at the
current price and quantity levels. We aren't immediately making any changes so if you want to take advantage of the
shipping being included then get your fall orders in early!! We will more than likely have to make some sort of adjustment
because of the rising cost of shipping candles along with the rising cost of the supplies it takes to make and ship candles
... just not sure what that adjustment should be yet. The economy along with the rising cost of everything involved
has sure been taking a toll on small businesses and we have not been left out. I just hope we can keep it minimal so
the candles will still sell at a reasonable price.
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Our bulk potpourri
has also been discontinued. Our inventory of botanical items had dwindled down considerably and orders were becoming fewer
and far between so we couldn't justify the investment it would take to build the inventory of bontanicals back up. We
are considering having a limited offering of a few blends or at least something like the scented rosehips and putka pods so
watch the site for updates on this.
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I also want to apologize for not being more in touch
with customers lately. One of my favorite parts of this business has been the friendships that have developed with
customers over the years. We started wholesaling our candles in Spring of 1998 and still have many original customers
selling our candles in their stores today and some that have developed their own business around our line of candles.
So you can't have customers like that and not become friends. Many know I am also an accountant by profession and was
called back to my former job from pre-candle days about 5-1/2 years ago. I never dreamed it would consume
so much of my time and thought I could do it all. I am the Controller for a very busy pipeline construction
company and so I have depended on my mom Sue who many of you have "met" and my sister Kim to oversee the
daily operations of the business to keep things going in my absence along with some dedicated staff members. I still
try to personally answer all the email inquiries and work with customers on labeling ideas but usually have to do this later
in the evenings. Thank goodness for the internet and email where you can work and be touch any hours of the day
and night.
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Well that's enough for now. I plan to work on the website over the coming days
to get it updated so check back often. If you have any suggestions on how we can help you to increase your candle, melt,
& oil business drop me an email. We'll soon be deep into the heart of candle burning and gift giving season! Happy
Fall!!!
Kelly
