uckevin111

I keep trying to select a custom color for a few of your jars and I am not able to add it to the shopping cart. I tried three different scents and they all do the same thing

Hmmm, I just tried it on a few different ones and it worked for me. The custom color will show up in the cart underneath the name of the style of candle you are purchasing. So it will say 'Home Scents Jar Candle - Cotton Blossom, Red' if you chose a red color for the Cotton Blossom candle.

Has anyone else had a problem with this, as I can't seem to replicate it if it's an error?

Thanks,

Kevin

I've been doing a little bit of research on trademark law and anything that has the "TM" next to it is trademarked but not actually registered as a trademark with the USPTO. In other words, the trademark is there but not necessarily backed up by federal law. The "R" symbol marks a trademark that is registered with the USPTO. Strangly (to me) Bath and Body Works has a registered trademark for Sweet Pea. I'm not exactly sure what the law is, but a trademark can be on the name, color, and smell, so one would need to make sure their product could not, in any way, be confused with B&BW product. So making a pink candle, in a round jar, with the name "Wild Sweet Pea" or anything like that could still be infringing on the trademark. I am very surprised that they were able to trademark the name of a flower, but now I'm going to have to revisit my naming

- Kevin

With regard to trademarked names, I think i'm right in thinking that nobody can trademark a name, if the name is something that exists as the description of an item.

I don't think I'm making myself clear - but for example, if Yankee want to make an apple scented candle, they can't trademark the name "apple" because it would mean nobody else would ever be able to create a candle that smells of apples. This is why they don't have these names trademarked on their site. However, when they INVENT a name, like "midsummer's night" that is their word, their name, and it is used to describe that particular blend of scent.

You can't go around trade-marking anything you like - I can't trademark the word "leather" or "sweet pea" for my candles, because both Leather and Sweet Pea are just items that have a distintive smell, and my candle would emulate that scent. You cannot trade-mark the aroma that you get when you sniff leather or sweet pea - hence not being able to trademark the word "sweet pea".

I may well be wrong, but this is as far as I understand when reading the trademarks council website.

Nat

I agree with you. I would think it wouldn't be allowed to trademark something that is a "common" name or the actual name of something (like a flower). If you look at Yankee's site you will see the "TM" next to the names they have trademarked. So "Cinnamon Stick" isn't trademarked but "Cottage Breeze" is. Thanks for pointing that out. I will look at some of the sites more in depth to make sure I'm not infringing on any TM's.

- Kevin

NICE web...Very, Very professional. Your labels must have cost you a TON to have each one individually printed?? We have just a generic label!! How long have you been making Candles!! You look like you have been around the Block?? We have been making and selling Candles for almost 10 years..We do have a Storefront in a Mall in College Station..Home of the FIGHTIN' AGGIES!! We sell lots and lots of Candles...I am with everyone else...just beware of the "Name infringement" issues. We have Sweet Pea..but ours is Oh Sweet Pea...(remember the song??).

Good Luck!!

Joyce

I actually print all the labels myself. I buy labels from an online store for very cheap and then print them out as I need them. The labels were all designed by me and as I get new fragrances I just make a new design.

I have been making candles for about 3 years now and decided that if I were going to do it as a business that I would really go for it. It helps a lot that my day job is as a computer programmer, specifically in web development, and that I have dabbled in design for a few years now. So everything you see has been done by me only. It takes me some time to do it all, but it really cuts down on my cost.

I hope to be able to open a retail store here in Cincinnati sometime in the near future!

Thanks for all the support and good luck with your store.

- Kevin

Hi Kevin. I see on your site you have the custom color drop-down box for customers to choose a colour for their candles, is this not a PITA when say a person who is ordering Lemon Verbena wants it coloured TEAL or some other strange colour? Do you then have to make up a batch of wax, colour and scent it and pour just the one candle? I am fairly new to candlemaking, so please excuse the naivety of this question. :tiptoe:

Actually, every one of my candles is made after an order is placed. I don't keep any inventory on hand, except for some candles to let people see and smell - which are the ones I used for the photos on the site. All I have to do to make a candle is melt the wax, add a dye chip and fragrance oil, and pour.

I have a pretty nice setup in my office with a presto pot that I fitted with a spout near the bottom so that I can just melt the wax and open the valve to get what I need. I have this situated over a digital scale that I place my pouring pitcher on. I know the exact amount of wax I need for each candle, so I turn the scale on and open the valve until I have the correct amount of wax in the pitcher. I normally already have the color chip in the pitcher prior to adding the melted wax, so I just stir, make sure it's the correct temperature with an infrared thermometer, add the fragrance oil, and pour :smiley2:

Actually it is not broken but when you choose a scent and then you recommend a scent at the bottom, you show a different style jar for the scent that is then featured. I clicked on this jar thinking I was going to see that jar style, but it says the page doesn't exist...it does it for all the scents I checked out

Thank you for pointing this out. I messed up my links when I added the soy candles. It should be fixed now :smiley2:

Thank you all for the great comments, I really appreciate it.

As far as the tm'd names, I am not exactly sure, but I made sure to only "copy" those names if the scents I bought also used those names. None of the scents I buy have "type" on them, so I assume if they can sell the scent with that name then I can use that name as well. If someone knows otherwise please let me know so I can change that.

I have been very busy with the candles and the site lately, but I'll make sure to keep up here and answer any questions or comments.

Thanks again!

- Kevin

Hi all! I wanted to post about my business, Lake House Candle Company. I am located in the Greater Cincinnati area and my web site is http://www.lakehousecandle.com. My day job is as a web developer and everything you see has been done by me: programming, design, graphics, photos, and now the marketing. Please take a look at my site and tell me what you think, I'd really appreciate it. .

Thanks,

Kevin