emilyspoppy

Dear Deb426;

I am seriously sorry if I came off as pushy or opinated about your preference not to sell citrus-based scents. I had no right to even suggest to you how you should run your business.

Please accept my sincere apology for my inconsiderate post. I meant no insult to your opinion or manner in the way you prefer to run your own business.

My intention was simply to be a friendly colleaque. I'm now quite ashamed of myself. I'll try to be more careful when I post replys in the future to all members on this board.

Sorry!

Sincerely; Dave @ Charlotte Hall Country Candles

We seem like kindred spirits with similar tastes.

Our Jo-Ann's went out of business a few months ago. We bought some of their store fixtures for our shop ay a very nice price. My wife was a good friend of the store manager.

I'm always mentioning that I'm an old married dude (63), but I have had legs issue for some years and find myself now stuck (temporaily) in a wheelchair.

I have basically grown to hate making candles for resale. Making jar candles bores me to near death, but I still like to make traditional candles for my own enjoyment. I just cannot sell them in our shop at a price where there is any profit in them.

I just purchased a really nice taper dipping vat from Peak. It was easier to do that than to try and find my old one that is in a very large storage building in my back yard. I plan on heading outside and dipping to my heart's content as soon as the weather permits. I need the fresh air and the tranquility of watching a beatiful double taper grow as you get a pleasant rhythmn established.

We'll have to "keep in touch"

Where in Pa are you. I grew up in Delaware, County / Chadds Ford

Dave

I too have noticed that they've been shipping a bit quicker.

My last two orders were around $1000 and $500 only a week or so apart. They were quite complicated and diverse and included all types and weights of items, including 100's of sampler FO's, glass bottles of dye and blocks of sale wax. Nothing was damaged or missing. The last order was shipped in one large box, which was well packaged. On both orders I felt the shipping charges were quite reasonable considering the distance they are from me.

I like most of the fragrances I buy there and I feel their FO's are generally a good value. You have to shop though, not all of their products are competative in price, IMO.

Many customers including me, have had to overcome difficulties with their shopping cart system, but once you learn how to "beat" it, it's a minor inconvenience.

JMO/HTH

Dave @ Charlotte Hall Country Candles

I am not at all surprised, only angry. Just about every week I receive an itemized bill from one of three hospitals I spent the best part of a year in.

Need I say more, than I'm glad that Valium went generic to Diazapam!

My wife has taken to hiding the bills from me. She's afraid I'll have another Coronary!

Dave

I'm a dude and when I began my journey into the world of heavily fragrant jar candles, I could not comprehend why the name of a fragrance was so important.

Now that I'm swimming in deep water in this field, I find myself struggling to sleep as all sorts of names come into mind when I turn the light off.

I keep a note pad and pen on my night table. Most of my new fragrance names are found there in the morning!

To answer; "What's in a name?"; I now reply; "Almost everything!"

Dave @ Charlotte Hall Country Candles

Thanks for the post!

I'm planning to travel soon to Lancaster, PA to pick up jars and lids from Fillmore's. I'll have to grab that one.

I will probably start a thread requesting recomendations on their other fragrances before I make the journey.

We have family in Cecil County, Maryland which is about 45 minutes from Fillmore's. I've bought from them, but never actually went to their physical store.

I'm looking forward to it.

Dave

I agree, chefmom.

By the way I should have posted I will need to take two "Zolpidem" tonight. That's the generic name for Ambien, whose exclusive time for raping consumers has ended. They made a fortune on it.. I think there was a 500% difference in price between the two versions!

GRRRRRRR! I hate paying full retail when the mark-ups are so outrageous.

I needed a new battery for my Verizon Samsung cell phone. I did not know my wife did too. I went on eBay and found a Motorola (NOT a knock-off) brand battery shipped free for $4.00.

My wife stopped at the Verizon store and Paid $40.00 plus 6% MD. sales tax for the VERY SAME battery. It's just not right!

Dave

I transfer most of my scents to PETE bottles or glass when I receive them and I have a bad case of CM nose, but I just stuck my snout up to my PETE bottle of "SJ" from BCN and it smelled like strawbeery with no off scent to me.

HTH

Dave

Chefmom;

I stopped making pillars when scented jar candles became the fashion in our market and pillar sales fell through the floor.

I am going to save your post to my files, though. I was impressed with your instructions.

I have a ton of great molds. I may have to put some of them back into service. I personally prefer pillars, votives and tapers over jars for my own use. I'm old and thus, old-fashioned. I love candle light and my nose is so shot, I don't personally get much from the jars anymore.

Kudos to you!

Dave

I've received a friendly "head's up" call or two from BCN also!

I appreciated it!

I've made a few obvious ordering mistakes from OTHER sellers, but I was shipped exactly what I asked for without question. Even though it was my own fault, I was still dissapointed with their CS or shipping dept.

Placing a sale code in the discount box vesus the comment section should be obvious to someone receiving an order too.

Some sellers have complicated check-out features and it can be a distraction which allows someone not to notice a small error in before they click that "submit" botton.

Since the error was mine, I'll decline to mention them, but I will state that Peak was not on that short list!

Go Peak!

Dave @ Charlotte Hall Country Candles

Hello; Hay Creek!

I grew up in Southeastern, PA.

(Delware County, Chadds Ford)

I graduated from Garnet Valley High School, class of 1967.

I Lived on Beaver Valley Road on the corner of Brandywine Summit Camp Road.

Are you in my old "neighborhood?

Dave @ Charlotte Hall Country Candles

When I was in the service, back during WWI (lol) we were trained to sleep light! I have to take drugs now to catch 4 hours, and that's if I'm lucky!

May be I should sniff some Lavender!

Dave

Phew! I'm sure I'll feel relieved!

Do any of us actually sleep?

Dave

I HATE BEING A "DRIP" !

TKS

Dave

I probably shouldn't post here, but I'm trying to get an "enema" rating. Or is that, "enigma"?

Whatever!

I've had several customers of the fairer sex tell me that they have fallen asleep with one of my candles burning on their nightstand, only to awaken, well refreshed, in the morning to find my candle either still burning gently or burned out and cool to the top of it's wick tab!

After I recover my sanity, wiped the foam from my mouth, and have given them ANOTHER candle burning instruction sheet along with a much needed; "Are you just plain stupid?" lecture, I also give them one of those slotted #70 lids which fit our jelly jar candles that will give off fragrance even though the candle is unlit.

They seem to take it all pretty well, even when I hug them and tell them, I'm glad they're still among the living.

They usually admit the fragrance that they were enjoying was (Rating from bottom to top / Backwards);

8.) Lilac

7,) Calla Lily (Our own blend)

6.) Warm Vanilla Sugar (B&B - Type)

5.) Lavender

4.) Lavender Vanilla

3.) Fresh Air (Our own Blend)

2.) Spa Glow (Our Own Blend)

1.) Love Spell (Victoria's Secret- Type)

For the record "LS" is our overall best selling fragrance in our candle shop.

Some strange things, though, I've experienced;

When we first started selling "LS", years ago, I dyed it a pale pink and renamed it.

EVERYONE who smelled it said it smelled like "Love Spell" to them, but they didn't buy it. Several even reached into their pocketbooks and produced a spary bottle, held it near my nose and said; See!", But: NO SALE!

I caved in and named it "Love Spell" / Victoria's Secret - Type" and we would sell out every week until I increased production on it.

Around Halloween of 2012, I decided to give VS their full tribute and dyed it a pleasant light purple color. SALES FROZE ! ! !

It is once again a pale pink and has regained it's status as our "Best Selling Fragrance".

What a crazy world we have to do business in.

Dave @ Charlotte Hall Country Candles

I heard that, but if I only stocked fragrances that I liked, i would have a pretty bare shop.

Break down and do a citrus or two. Bitter Creek South's "Citrus Splash" is about the best I have come across to date.

I HATE DRAGON'S BLOOD / PATCHOULI / JASMINE and one we call FLOWER SHOP (I privately call it FUNERAL PARLOR) but they all get restocked regularly, darn it!

I've learned to hold my breath for long periods thanks to this business.

Dave

Another ditto! For candles that is!

FO Suppliers!

What about us!

Do you mean it's illegal to say "compares to" or "type" on our fragrances.

The national B&B generic producing companies have been doing this for years. Check out a bottle of Swave or look at Walmart's brand for the reference to another companie's tradename.

This is the first I have heard of this, but the implications for us make me ill!

Will the fashion police or candle cops be busting us or issuing "cease & desist" orders. We're not trying to pass off our products as counterfeits, by disquising them in anyway.

We're not selling knock-off Coach pocket books or Nike's or any of that overpriced stupid consumer rip-off crap. The only way they can maintain their extravagant prices is to bully everyone and collect large sums from lawsuit settlements while the Chineese sweat shops continue to crank out their crappy highly-overpriced products. Consumers could put an end to this in a snap of a finger, but most have been brainwashed into believing the hype that they push!

It's pretty darn rotten that a few of the big candle and B&B makers lock-up all of the good names and defy anyone else to the right of some pretty basic descriptions. I believe that a company has a right to protect it's propietary name for a period, but pretty soon all we'll be able to call our products are "A Candle" , "A Bar of Soap", "A Bottle of Hand Lotion". ect.

At least the drug companies have a limited period to corner their market and rip everyone off!

Candle supplies yard sale to follow!

Lools like two Ambiens tonight!

Dave

I've used that one too. It was very good, but I keep crawling back to BCN "FB"!

Maybe it's in the nose!

Dave

Judy;

I'm with you on this one!

I have a fragrance that I blended, "Tangerine Dreams" that a lady returned claiming a fuel odor smell. We both sniffed the jar at the same time and I did not get a fuel odor, but she insisted that she did. She accepted another fragrance with my apologies.

I test burned the returned candle for a three hour period in my shop, while we were open and busy with customers. No one complained. I finally gave what was left of the questionable candle to a friendly customer who buys "TD" in bulk and he said he loved it the same as the others he had bought.

I did, however, reduce my FO load on all citrus based candles shortly after that. I am careful now to add 7/8 of an ounce per pound of wax (IGI-4630).

Unknown to me the lady arrived back in my shop a month or so later and told me she was glad I had changed my tangerine fragrance to a better one. She had bought another "TD" jar from my wife while I was tied up in another part of our shop.

I just smiled and thanked her, but didn't tell her that it came from the same gallon jug as the first one she had issues with. She had bought the same FO at a lesser concentration and it solved the problem for her, at least!

I never told my other customer about the cut-back in FO load, and he's never mentioned that he though they were weaker throwing. Everybody is happy, so I guess the problem is solved.

I was really impressed with Alan's explanation! What a board!

SF

Dave @ Charlotte Hall Country Candles

8 oz. jelly jars and paraffin candle wax is a great starting place! I use IGI-4630 for my Jelly jars.

Peak sells wax samples to test with. They also have great fragrance oils, starter kits and helpful tutorials.

They sponsor this anazing board where discusion of any supplier's and their producrs are permitted. I find that refreshing.

Go slow , read, read and when you're finished reading, read some more.

I would like to close, by mentioning that right now, I understand from another board member's posting, that K-Mart is selling a new Presto (Multi-Cooker) Pot for $19.99. I'm not sure how long the sale will last, but they make a great kitchen appliance if you decide to do the double boiler method of melting wax or passing on making your own candles.

A Presto might make a very appreciated Valentine's Day gift. They normally retail for $40. I have close to a dozen in my workshop. I LOVE them as does my wife.

Welcome to the world of candle making!

Dave @ Charlotte Hall Country candles

I will often write a review on a fragrance when the feature is available. I'm pretty sure you can do that at Peak. It's one of the reasons I bought a whole pound of "WMH" rather than an ounce. I read the reviews.

I also placed an order with CandleScience on the same day. I was going to try their "Honey", but the reviews were bad. To the credit of CS, they have since made it a closeout item and reduced the price quite a bit. It impresses me when an FO supplier allows honest and unrestricted feedback on their products and then is willing to admit they made a mistake in their selection. CS doesn't stock nearly as many FO's as other larger suppliers, but many are unique and most of good quality. Although I don't use soy, they also have a soy throw level feature for those that do.

I "found" about several hundred it seems, more FO suppliers after I "found" this board. I've been sweating ever since. I love looking at all of the bottles in my crazy scientist's laboratory.

Does anyone know about how to go about selling blood?

I visited the local sp*rm bank recently, but my guess is the staff there are still rolling around the floor in hysteria.

I'm always trying to buy enough to make the shipping charges effective, but I have to overcome my "bigger is better" attitude and stick to sampling new FO's.

Dave

That is a great price on Presto's, but I already have about 10! I'll bet they all cost more than $20 bucks too.

I'm not a big fan of the "spout". I find it cumbersome and hard to open with one hand while the other holds the pour pot. On two pounds of wax or less we just pour into pots. When we have up to four pounds (Never more) in a pot we will dip it into the pour pot with a large stainless steel restaurant ladle. I don't think there is a right answer to the best method, but that is, I believe a good price on the pot. Does it have the newer magnetic "break away" control or the older style prong control. My wife likes #2 (new one) and I like #1 (old one). See; Even a disagreement in the same "company"; Not unusual for our "staff", though! (lol)

Dave @ Charlotte Hall Country Candles

Actually the waxes I use are imported too; From Canada. They are stocked by American sellers, though.

Your wax technical issues are way over my head, but if you are buying American fragrance oils you will want to note whether they can be shipped by air. A good supplier will mention this in their data information. If you order some fragrances with a lower flashpoint they will have to be shipped by surface shipping. That might mean it will be some time for you to receive them. Some sellers may not ship to Europe either. I wish you the best of luck!

Dave

Right now I just want my enema! I promise to behave.

I cannot recall buying a weak Peak (It rhymns!) fragrance!

Please moderators! Don't ship me off to "Motivation Platoon" !!! I'll spend a few hours on the quarterdeck, but I do want to stay with the squad.

Dave