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House Of Wax Makes Scents

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By ANGELA DELGADO

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 10, 2008

TOWN 'N COUNTRY - Layoffs are rarely pleasant, but the experience led Meagan Albury to her current venture: the Wicked Cool Candle Co.

In 2006, Albury was a human resource officer in a big corporation that was phasing out employees, and Albury was cut. After one week of not working, she grew antsy.

She made contact with a friend in Massachusetts, Deb Fiore, who was in business making candles and selling them. Albury was intrigued.

"I started asking her questions because it was something that interested me," Albury said. "It all just came together. I ordered the candle-making kit to see if I would like the practice, and I caught the bug from there."
Albury began experimenting with scents and ingredients; she checked out books in the library and bought a "dummy's guide to candle making," to learn the craft, she said. She asked Fiore for tips and got advice from vendors who sold wicks and wax.

At first it was a hobby, but within 10 months Albury and her boyfriend, Roy Kinzler, decided to create a full-fledged business.

"It just snowballed from there," Albury said. "It's not an easy business to get into. It was a lot more chemistry than I anticipated. It took all my savings to make this work, but I know a lot of candlemakers; once you're bitten by the bug, you're bitten by it."
Albury and Kinzler started with 12 scents in November 2006. Her first was spiced cranberry, she said.

"I loved the fruity, spicy blend," she said. "I still sell it today."

Spiced cranberry is one of the 50 scents that Albury produces for Wicked. Albury makes the candles, and she and Kinzler share the duties of label design, packaging and sales. Their beloved dog, a Pembroke Welsh Corgi named Finnegan James, also plays a role in the business: He's the mascot.

Because they are involved in every aspect of the business, the couple said they can share their knowledge and advice with customers.

"We know the answer about anything they ask," Kinzler said. "We can tell you which scent is stronger than the next, how long it's going to burn. It comes straight from us."
Albury has a corner of the house set aside to make her products, which include wax tarts, scented tea lights, candles in 8-ounce and 16-ounce tins, candles in 8-ounce Mason jars and candles in 16-ounce apothecary jars. Recently, the couple added shower gels and body lotion to the mix, and soon Albury wants to expand her line to include handmade soaps.

Product scents include gardenia, lime cooler, Mediterranean fig and tea rose. The couple say customer favorites are sage and citrus, clean cotton and "the eliminator," which purges odors with the lighting of a wick.
Albury and Kinzler sell their merchandise primarily at arts and crafts festivals, sometimes to out-of-state venues. They also sell items at www .wickedcoolcandlecompany .com, although Kinzler said he is aware that online sales take time to grow because people often want to sniff before they purchase.

"It's a physical product, and people need to put their nose in it," he said. "Once they smell and buy it, we point people to the Web site."

Wicked Cool customers are loyal, too. Kinzler said a woman from Palatka had her husband drive to Orlando to buy wax tarts from them.

"That poor man probably had to drive 100 miles," he said. "They cleaned us out."

After almost two years in business, the couple have sold about 10,000 candles and about 100,000 wax tarts. Albury said she goes through 60 pounds of wax in less than a day just to make the tarts.

Wicked Cool customers live across the Tampa Bay area and beyond. The company recently joined forces with a Largo retailer, Copycats Boutique, 760 Indian Rocks Road, to sell Wicked Cool items in the store. This is the first retailer to carry the line, and the couple hope it won't be the last.

Regardless of the hopes the couple have for the company, Albury makes a point of looking at the struggling economy and an uncertain future with humor.

"I never thought I'd make a lot of money doing this," she said. "It makes me feel good. I think that's what drives me; the fun of being able to create."

Still, "if our electricity gets shut off because we can't pay the bills, we can always light a candle," Albury said, laughing.

CANDLE CARE TIPS

•Always trim wicks to 1/4-inch before lighting a candle. This provides a clean burn and keeps the flame on your wick from getting too big.

•Never place a lighted candle on or near anything flammable. A flat, ceramic tile or dish placed beneath a lit candle is recommended.

•Never drop anything in a candle such as bits of matches, etc. These can catch fire.

•Burn a candle only for the recommended time. Burning a candle longer than that can be a fire hazard.

•Do not store candles in direct sunlight. Not only can they fade, but they also can melt in direct heat.

Reporter Angela Delgado can be reached at (813) 865-1501 or adelgado@tampatrib.com.

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