I’ve never been one to care about candles one way or another. To me, the candle craze was always associated with the malls. It was a niche market that somehow grew a bit out of control. When I saw that a candle company was opening on Elmwood Avenue, at first I couldn’t help but think that the business was going to have a tough time competing with the corporate candle companies that are entrenched at the malls (not to mention online). It was upon an initial visit to Candles by Christina that I realized that I didn’t really know the real ins and outs of the industry.
It turns out that the way Christina Fernandez (and her husband) came to be in the candle business is quite interesting. Upon a visit to a big box store for scented candles, they couldn’t believe how expensive they were. “It was five years ago, Christina told me. “We had just gotten married and we were on a limited budget. We walked out of the store and decided to do some research about candles, to find out why they were so expensive. In the process, we discovered that most of the candles that were on the market were being made out of paraffin, a petroleum based product – bad for the environment, expensive and not all that healthy for you. Then we began to research candle-making options and learned that soy wax based candles were in fact better all around. But no one was making them, from what we could tell. That was how we got our start.”
That was how Christina and her husband founded their business. They began making the candles in their kitchen, and selling them to friends and family. Then came the candle parties, and the farmers’ markets. Finally, the couple decided that it was time to open a store, and found the perfect little spot on Elmwood (next to Ashker’s). “We still make the candles out of our kitchen,” said Christina [laughing]. “We’re finding that more and more people are discovering the wholesome qualities of soy based candles. They are less expensive, better for the environment, healthier to breath, and even last longer because of their melting point (they don’t burn as hot, compared to petroleum based candles).”
At this point, Christina offers 24 different candle scents, with a number of holiday options to come. The candles are infused with essential oils, which gives them their fragrant properties. The candles are not organic, but are all natural.
Besides offering the jarred candles, Christina also makes and sells the “melts”, which act a bit more like incense, in the way that they melt when placed in a burner that is heated by a tea candle. “Those are my favorites,” mentioned Christina. “They last for hours and hours, and you can just leave them around the house for the day.”
A lot of the test scents come in the form of the melts. Christina pays attention to which of the melts are customer favorites, and then makes the rest of the candles accordingly. Candles by Christina is a true candle shop. The walls are lined with scented candles, tea candles (6-8 hours burn time), burners, holders, etc. Some of Christina’s best sellers are Jamaica Me Crazy, Ocean Breeze, and Oakmoss and Amber. There’s even a masculine scent called “hombre” for the guys.
Right now, the couple is concentrating on retail sales, but in the future they plan on expanding to wholesale, as well as internet sales. For me, I love the fact that the candles are made in small batches, in someone’s kitchen, right here in Buffalo NY. I bought a couple of different candles to burn around the house over the weekend, and have been extremely happy with my purchase. I think that after all for these years of being candle-less (for the most part), I am having a change of heart when to comes to the idea of having candles burning around the house. There are a number of scents that appeal to me, and I’m happy to support a small business that was born for all of the right seasons.
Candles by Christina | 1006 Elmwood Ave | Buffalo, New York 14222 | Phone (716) 887-8365 | Facebook