Eternal Flame: No dousing the popularity of candles

Kirk Baird

Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2000 | 8:44 a.m.

Whether it's the holidays, the fact that they make easy gifts, or that some attribute special healing powers to them, candles are a hot item this year.

In fact, according to the National Candle Association, candle sales have at least doubled in the last five years.

It's to the point that even Marianne McDermott, executive vice president of the NCA, is amazed.

"I don't know if (the candle industry) is still growing at that rate," McDermott said. "It could be leveling out. You can't sustain that kind of growth forever."

But on a recent Saturday at Illuminations candle store at the Aladdin's Desert Passage mall, there was no reason to think otherwise.

The shop, one of many candle stores throughout Las Vegas, was consistently filled with shoppers. Some were just browsing at the candles and their accessories, which range from $4.95-$200. Others were looking to buy that perfect gift -- whether for themselves, family or friends.

Carrying two sacks filled with holiday-themed and floral-scented candles, Betty Jo Bailey, a Charlotte, N.C., resident, said she's been buying candles since before the newfound popularity began in 1995.

"Candles are something you can give to a close friend or general acquaintances," Bailey said. "It's just as appropriate."

And Ilene Kaye of Las Vegas, who was buying candles for friends, said she also had noticed the popularity of candles.

"I have no idea why," Kaye said. "I've never really put that much thought into it."

So why the sudden growth? After all, it's not as if candles are a revolutionary new item.

There are two reasons, McDermott said.

There's the home-decor factor, she said, with manufacturers creating candles in myriad colors, shapes and sizes to match almost any room and taste. Throw in some accessories, such as glass bowls, pottery or wall-hanging designs, and a simple candle becomes a conversation piece.

And then there's the fragrance factor, which is the most prevalent.

It used to be that scented candles came in few and simple fragrances, such as vanilla, blueberry and rose, she said, that were mainly to accent the seasons. Now there are enough floral smells to rival the Garden of Eden that, along with other scents, such as apple pie, oatmeal cookie and cinnamon, can enliven almost any room.

These days stores offer everything all sorts of scents with such names as Home Sweet Home, Irish creme, Boy Berry, Lemongrass, Tangerine and Lavender, Sandalwood Ginger and Lime Blossom, to such holiday fare as Home for the Holidays, Jack Frost, Eggnog and Noble Fir.

The fragrance trend began several years ago, McDermott said, when consumers began to purchase more of the scented candles. Not one to miss a chance at increased revenue, the industry began to make more of the sweet-smelling candles.

Somewhere along the way the idea that these scented candles could evoke certain feelings was brought up and "aromatherapy" became a buzzword in the candle industry.

It was an idea that has proved very popular. So much so, it's a drawing point of many candle stores, such as Illuminations, where a room is devoted to candles with various scents designed to relax, comfort and even heal.

But calling it "aromatherapy" is not entirely accurate, McDermott said.

"Aromatherapy is a medical practice that has additional effect through the use of oils. That's not what fragranted candles are. They involve an emotional response, maybe triggered by the smell," McDermott said. "So I don't know if you'd call it (aromatherapy)."

Accurate or not, there's no debating how much it has helped the candle industry: $2.3 billion in sales this year alone, McDermott said.

Illuminations is a perfect example of the trend. What began as a four-store operation four years ago, with shops in Denver, Chicago and two in Northern California, has grown into a 65-store nationwide chain.

Clay Lingo, director of marketing for Illuminations, said that this fall the candle company opened two stores a week.

"As people spend more time at home, they're looking for more ways to enhance their time at home," he said. "(Candles are) a trendy item."

And that trend applies almost equally around the United States, McDermott said, although the West Coast may have slightly more powerful affinity for the burning wax.

Shirley Mlynarczk, the owner and manager of Wicks N' Sticks at Meadows mall for 18 years, can attest to that.

Mlynarczk said she's never seen candles as popular as they are now.

"When we first started out, candles were more of a novelty item, like an animal -- things that you you can't burn but look at," Mlynarczk said. "Now, they've gone into being more decorative. People want different widths and sizes. They've become very decorative and nicely scented."

As a franchise store of the Wicks N' Sticks chain, Mlynarczk said she's allowed to sell brands of candles other than the company's own line, such as Colonial Candle, A.I. Root and Trapp, which range in price from 99 cents to $20.

But of all the brands she sells, Yankee Candle is the most popular, she said, "because it's highly scented, and the largest (candle) lasts up to 125 hours." Coming in a clear glass jar, "It's more for fragrance than decoration," she added.

With the holiday season in full swing, candle buying is even more popular.

McDermott said the shopping period between Thanksgiving and Christmas accounts for 35 percent of all candle sales, which is the way it's always been.

"It's just that the pie has gotten much bigger," she said.

As to why that pie has grown, Catherine Clark, sales supervisor at Illuminations, has a rather simple theory.

"There's so much you can do with candles," she said. "And people are waking up to that."