Mei-Mei

Goodness, I forgot about Peak's and Just by Nature. I don't know how I forgot Peak's~~they make some of my favorite FOs:o I've never ordered from Lonestar. Now I have to add another website to my list of favorites!

Very good post. As I've mentioned before I had a friend of mine mention that she left a candle that I'd given her burning in her living room while she went to the grocery store. Nothing happened, but I had nightmares about it.:undecided For me insurance is peace of mind. My husband has always had his own business with lots of insurance and the first thing we did when I started my business was to get another policy.

I order my wax from Greenleaf Candle Supply~do you know that supplier? It's in Texas. I have ordered from Cajun and BCS, but those are the only suppliers I know that are in the Texas/Louisiana area.

Now that I have my own store and I'm doing fairs I've started to reconsider my wax. I'm happy with the wax; it's not perfect, but what wax is? My wax is only carried by one supplier (it's their house blend). I began to think, "what if they (a) go out of business, ( run out of stock at a crucial time, © go up a lot in price? Maybe I should start working with a wax that is carried by many suppliers? Anyway, I know that's a personal decision, but I was wondering if that's a consideration for other chandlers out there. Did you choose your wax based on universal availability (as well as other qualities)? Have you considered what would happen if your wax just wasn't there anymore?

You don't like those??? I think they are awesome! Really pretty, and the display is just gorgeous.

Well, they trademarked the name in reference to a candle. In other words one could probably get away with making a cupcake called 'Sweet Pea' but might get in trouble doing it with a candle. Trademark law is very weird and complicated. I too am surprised they were able to trademark a common name like that.

Be sure to watch it in the microwave. The first time I worked with it I zapped it too long and it turned into a souffle! Weirdest thing I ever saw~~it puffed right up!

You might want to check with the secretary of state in your area before getting your heart set on that business name. I google'd and found lots of 'cutie patootie' businesses. I know the spelling is different, but sometimes the sec. of state will not register a business name if it is that close to another. The whole goal is that the consumer not be confused.

Another reason they may want a copy of your labels (not just warning labels) is to make sure you don't make claims that open the insurance company to liability. For instance: Such-and-Such Country Candle Company Our candles make you fly! They make you the most popular person at the party! They make your breath smell like sunshine! That's a big exaggeration but you know what I'm getting at.:smiley2:

Those are really nice. I've never heard of them and it seems like something I'll have to try. Beautiful!

In addition to what Top said you'll find that if you ever want to sell your candles 6% of FO is much, much more economical. I think you'll be surprised at the difference in your wicking if you try pouring at a lower FO percentage. It's really amazing and some of the fragrances throw much better.

I agree with Cindym. I would go and be sure to hand out tons of brochures and free samples. Also, if they didn't specify bar soap I would bring liquid soap, foaming bath soap, etc. (after the proper testing of course). That way you'd have several products and you'd still fit in their guidelines.:smiley2:

:smiley2: I opened my candle store this past Tuesday (it's actually in a Yoga studio~my friend teaches Yoga). I just made my first sale ever five minutes ago (an 11.5oz candle scented Tiare Blossom and some foaming bath butter). I was getting worried that no one would ever buy anything. Yeah!

I agree with Top, but I'd like to add that I think the color is very pretty. Not helpful I know, but I wanted to mention it.:embarasse

Most companies want you to let them know if they've made an error. It's certainly worthwhile to contact them and explain the problem.

Congrats! I'm sure you'll do fine. You don't want to wear red or white or anything with a too fussy neckline. Be sure to look at the reporter, not the camera. Just relax and have fun with it.

I google'd Serenity and what came up was the movie and a line of incontinence products. I'm sure you don't want your soaps associated with either of those.:embarasse I liked Serenity Shores at first, but for some reason it's making me think of a funeral home. But I like the word serenity! How 'bout Serenita (serenity in Italian) or Serendipity (which starts with the same letters)?

Ass melts......

It depends on where you live. A trademark in Louisiana costs $50.00.

This might be a dumb question, but can bath salts be stored in tins or would the oils in the salts cause the tins to corrode?

That's a very good observation. If I made a really delicious chocolate cake I could say, "made from real cocoa beans" but that doesn't preclude my using cocoa powder or artificial flavoring. I think you hit the nail right on the head.

You know what's sad? I would spend about $500.00 at your booth even though I can make bath salts and bombs myself! Everything in your booth looks so clean and inviting. I especially like the bath bombs and they way they are marketed. I'm not surprised you had such a great weekend; you really deserve it!

I love Black Canyon with a burning passion, pun intended.

I hope I can save you some agony. I got some palm wax once that would not come out of the molds no matter what. Palm stearic, mold release...nothing helped. I was actually crying over that Palm wax. It ruined my molds. I got another batch from a different company and the stuff virtually flew out of the molds. So I went back to the first company, placed another order and tried again. The stuff slid out of the molds just as nice as you please. I think that every once in awhile one gets a bad batch of palm. I'm convinced of it. Try ordering a small bag from another company and see if it helps.

That looks great!