It was one of those discoveries I would categorize as lovely. I walked in from the heat into the little rustic workshop, met by fragrance and smiles from modern-day candle makers proving there is life after retirement.

JarWick’s Candle Factory and Gift Shop, owned and operated by Charles and Ruby Lee Head and Charles and Gloria Anderson is off the beaten path at 3401 County Road 415 in Alvarado.

The enterprise is located on the Heads’ Rockin’ H Ranch, along with cattle, chickens, ducks and their bass-filled Lake Charles. Things move at a slower pace there: I heard a rooster crow at lunchtime.

They and the Andersons insist their business is nothing fancy, but proof is in the product.

The women were teaching together at Coleman Elementary School in Cleburne in 1998. Charles Head was elementary school principal at Cooke Elementary, and Charles Anderson was a railroad man. They all began to talk about what they might do after they retired.

“I read an article in a Fort Worth newspaper about candlemaking, and was intrigued,” Ruby Lee said. “We went to a craft show soon after that and found a lady who wanted to sell out her candle business.

“Gloria and I invested $250 each, and bought everything she had.”

Word spread, and soon they sold out. They took orders and found that they couldn’t get the quality candles they wanted right away.

The men visited a candle supplier in Crowley who showed them how to make a candle. They bought supplies and began to make their own.

 Charles Anderson said: “We learned about the quality of materials needed. For example, you can find a cheap candle at a store that has been made in China, and it has a strong fragrance. After you burn it that first time the fragrance is gone. It was only sprayed on the top. That is not what we wanted.”

The Chinese should know the business, as they were the earliest candlemakers recorded in history, back in 221 B. C. Their product’s smell, no doubt, was not in their favor, as the candles were made from whale fat. Candles were simply a necessity for light.

Europe, the Middle East and Africa lagged behind, as they used olive oil for lamps until the Middle Ages.

But today, Americans want more from candles. Long removed from a necessity unless the lights go out, candles are treasured for their soothing, long-burning fragrance and true colors. They have become personal.

There were techniques to be developed. Gloria said. “On our first candles there was this tunnel down the center. The wicks had sunk.”

 More than just friends, Gloria’s father, W. T. “Bill” Whitworth married Charles Head’s mother, Mary Nell Head, years after the children were grown. They have an easy rapport.

They precisely follow the guidelines of the International Guild of Candle Artisans to produce hand poured premium scented candles. They also make pillar candles that stand alone and bath products.

I was hesitant to ask how they made their products but found the couples are not guarded about sharing what they have learned.

Charles Head said: “We do demonstrations and enjoy having school children come to the shop to see how a candle is made. We taught a teacher how to guide her students to make their own candles for a fund raiser. Ruby Lee and Gloria have given candle parties in homes.”

They said they learn from others, so why not show others, as well?  Proving, it seems, that once a teacher, always a teacher.

Their candles have been bought by others in Alaska, Canada, India and Japan. They ship wholesale for large orders and deliver in the local and Metroplex area.

They never advertise for fear their orders will overtake their time.

Their tempered glass containers and lids are purchased in Dallas, and they recalled bringing home four pickup truck loads for orders in the past year — so the numbers are there.

One of their biggest sales was to a vendor for the Fort Worth Stock Show who requested a leather fragrance, they said.  As a bonus, they discovered that its wax could be smeared on a card and placed under a car seat to give it a “new car” smell.

Expenses have increased during the 12 years of their business, Anderson said.

“The wax that we use is bought in 11-pound slabs. They come in a box of five. So, at first, 55 pounds were $32; now it costs $76 a box. Scents are bought by the pound and have an eight-month shelf life. We will pour up to a triple scent, or no scent at all. At first, we used liquid dye to color. If it got on your hands, you had to wear it off. Now we buy more paint chips.”

Charles Head: “We can combine colors and match colors on custom orders. Exact formulas make colors consistent.”

They have fun with holiday candles, pouring into unique containers. They wax pinecones that can be tossed into the fireplace for fragrance. Gift baskets are popular at Valentine’s. Customers often bring in containers again for re-pours. When customers choose something special to hold their candle that has been in their family for years, they are always warned that breakage is a possibility when the hot wax is poured.

Ruby Lee said: “That hasn’t happened yet, fortunately. In fact, one of our best sellers was a candle poured into a champagne glass when the year 2000 arrived.”

Candlemaking has its dangers. Temperatures must be monitored as fire and explosion are hazards. Gel wax, especially, they said, has a low flash point.

They poured a candle while I was there. Before we finished talking, it was placed in my hand, still warm, wafting a pina colada scent, one of 76 fragrances available.

Gloria continues to be a counselor at Marti Elementary School in Cleburne. The others have retired. For 38 years Ruby Lee taught little children; Charles was a teacher and principal for 33. Anderson was a tough railroader for “42 years and 8 months.”

Their work was a true career, and they loved it.

But retirement is fun, and this endeavor is something entirely different.

They admitted they won’t get rich selling candles. From $1 votives to $21.50 26-oz poured items with up to three wicks, a big profit is not there. But the pleasure is.

“There’s just something special about putting what you have made into a gift box carefully with tissue and ribbon — and being so proud of it,” Ruby Lee said.

To visit JarWick’s Candle Factory and Gift Shop from Cleburne, travel south on Texas 4, turning left on Farm-to-Market Road 2415; then, right on County Road 415, to 3401. Call ahead at 817-645-8447 or 800-628-1701.

For information, e-mail jarwickscandles@hyperusa.com.



Larue Barnes may be reached at laruebarnes@yahoo.com.