Out with the Old...in with the New!
So 2010 is fast coming to a close and 2011 is coming equally as fast right around the corner. While the old year was overall a pretty good year, we're VERY excited in regards to how the start of the year is already shaping up. A personal friend of ours who is the owner of an Office Supply company has approached us about partnering with them to offer all their customers an opportunity to purchase our Adirondack Candles for their offices/work place. This is a market that we are not currently in, but which the major candle companies are in, in other areas. We are very excited about this new marketing niche and the potential expansion of Adirondack Candle Company candles into a bigger segment of the market.
I know the owner of this company personally...he's a long time personal friend who shares my Optimistic view of the world and business, has a very sharp business mind, has a great family who we're personal friends with, and who has a love for family and friends that I share and also admire. We're not only thrilled for this opportunity, but more importantly to do it with such a fine individual and company. We're honored that he thought of us and thought enough of our company to want our candles to be a part of his offering to his customers.
That's exciting....what's more exciting is to see what else the New Year will bring us. My belief is that if you are in a contant state of mind and being to accept and recieve good things, good things WILL happen to you. Some people believe good things happen to people because they are lucky...I'm of the belief that if you work hard enough, have great ethics, surround yourself with good people and positive energy....good things will come to you because you prepared yourself to allow it to happen. That's not luck, it's preperation and "stick-toitiviness"!
So, Happy New Year to all of you. We wish you a very Happy, and Safe New Year filled with many happy days. Eat right, exercise as much as you can, tell those around you how much you love them....oh, and keep enjoying our Adirondack Candle Company candles. We love making them for you...it's truly an honor!
Please share us with a friend, we'd sure appreciate it.
Have a Great Adirondack Day!
~your Adirondack Candle guy
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Candles for the World! (How it all started)
Wow....wouldn't that be a great opportunity for us at the Adirondack Candle Company. A very close friend often says that very same thought to us all the time...."Candles for the World"...how cool.
We have grown a lot since we first started making candles back in 1993. We started our business in 1994....but in reality we were busy trying to "figure out how to even do it" during 1993. Not too many people know how it all started....maybe we should share it with you. Pull up a comfortable chair and let me tell you how it all started.
Our twins, Mike and Christina, were only about 2 years old and literally running under our feet wherever we went in the house. In fact, our house was much, much smaller back then compared to what it is today. We only had a one story bungalow back then and the twins bedroom was literally only 8' x 9'. WOW!
So, back to our story....I'm a "do it yourself" kind of guy and I was rebuilding our kitchen (gutted right down to the studs and rebuilt from there)...and I thought "how hard could it be to make a candle?". You see...we really LOVED Yankee Candles back then....I know, I know...we really don't like to say those things, but back then...yea, we loved them. But...they sure were expensive and we couldn't afford them with the twins. So...I started the process. It took MONTHS to make them, test them, THROW THEM OUT...and start all over. In the end we succeeded and thought we had a good product. I thought of a name, then thought about it more....didn't really think it was that great, and went back to the drawing board. I didn't know where this whole process would take us...but if it got big (if you know me....I do dream big all the time!), I wanted the name to be something that "had legs" and could grow. There it was....the Adirondack Candle Company....I knew it in my heart that this could be a big company. I wanted it to be centered around something that I loved and then built it to reflect that vision, that feeling, that region....that brand.
With that, we marketed the product to 4 local stores, and they liked it....or maybe because they knew me that were just being kind....whatever the case, if we failed and they never reordered, well, at least we would have made back our initial investment and would not be out anything. We started with a $500 investment and would have broke even without a reorder....but as you know, that NEVER happened...they reordered and we grew from there.
I don't believe in failure...so truth be told I knew it wouldn't fail. I would just keep working it until it succeeded....that's what I do! We looked at old photo's recently and found one from the very start of the company...when we made them in our kitchen.....3 at a time. Yes...that's right...3 AT A TIME! Hahaha...too funny. The first year we "stocked" our product (Our inventory was 20 candles on a small shelf) we were thrilled when on Christmas Eve we sold the last one! We were sooooo proud. Now, we sell them by the thousands per year. Very cool!
So...we thank ALL OF YOU who have supported us and allowed us the priviledge of continuing to grow and bring you our "love in a jar" that we call the Adirondack Candle Company. The way we're going, and with a little luck...maybe it will be "Candles for the World" in the end!
Have a Great Adirondack Day!
your Adirondack Candle Guy~
We have grown a lot since we first started making candles back in 1993. We started our business in 1994....but in reality we were busy trying to "figure out how to even do it" during 1993. Not too many people know how it all started....maybe we should share it with you. Pull up a comfortable chair and let me tell you how it all started.
Our twins, Mike and Christina, were only about 2 years old and literally running under our feet wherever we went in the house. In fact, our house was much, much smaller back then compared to what it is today. We only had a one story bungalow back then and the twins bedroom was literally only 8' x 9'. WOW!
So, back to our story....I'm a "do it yourself" kind of guy and I was rebuilding our kitchen (gutted right down to the studs and rebuilt from there)...and I thought "how hard could it be to make a candle?". You see...we really LOVED Yankee Candles back then....I know, I know...we really don't like to say those things, but back then...yea, we loved them. But...they sure were expensive and we couldn't afford them with the twins. So...I started the process. It took MONTHS to make them, test them, THROW THEM OUT...and start all over. In the end we succeeded and thought we had a good product. I thought of a name, then thought about it more....didn't really think it was that great, and went back to the drawing board. I didn't know where this whole process would take us...but if it got big (if you know me....I do dream big all the time!), I wanted the name to be something that "had legs" and could grow. There it was....the Adirondack Candle Company....I knew it in my heart that this could be a big company. I wanted it to be centered around something that I loved and then built it to reflect that vision, that feeling, that region....that brand.
With that, we marketed the product to 4 local stores, and they liked it....or maybe because they knew me that were just being kind....whatever the case, if we failed and they never reordered, well, at least we would have made back our initial investment and would not be out anything. We started with a $500 investment and would have broke even without a reorder....but as you know, that NEVER happened...they reordered and we grew from there.
I don't believe in failure...so truth be told I knew it wouldn't fail. I would just keep working it until it succeeded....that's what I do! We looked at old photo's recently and found one from the very start of the company...when we made them in our kitchen.....3 at a time. Yes...that's right...3 AT A TIME! Hahaha...too funny. The first year we "stocked" our product (Our inventory was 20 candles on a small shelf) we were thrilled when on Christmas Eve we sold the last one! We were sooooo proud. Now, we sell them by the thousands per year. Very cool!
So...we thank ALL OF YOU who have supported us and allowed us the priviledge of continuing to grow and bring you our "love in a jar" that we call the Adirondack Candle Company. The way we're going, and with a little luck...maybe it will be "Candles for the World" in the end!
Have a Great Adirondack Day!
your Adirondack Candle Guy~
Monday, November 29, 2010
The process of creating new scents
Well....it may seem "Magical" that new scents just "appear" and become one of the many we already have....but I can assure you that much work goes into the process.
We're back in the testing mode in an effort to come up with new scents. If you aren't trying new things then you are just going with the flow. We want to always be adapting, growing, challenging ourselves to become bigger and better than we are. There are a couple of ways to come up with something new in the candle fragrance arena: 1) Take a couple of scents we already have and mix them together for a new scent. (we've done that before) 2) Get some entirely NEW scent samples from our scent companies and test them out.
Years ago when we were just starting, we found this to be a very easy process. We'd ask for some samples from the Scent company and they'd send us 5 or 6 to try. Most times we found most of them to be successful. By that I mean that the scent smelled great in the bottle (first test...gotta like it there before you go any further, right?), then we'd make a small batch and "test" them when we burned them. Did they give off the same smell we liked from the bottle? Did they "throw" the scent throughout the room? Some scents smell great but don't "throw" the scent...that's a Dud because if you our loyal customers can't smell them then they are not ultimately successful! Early on, we would test 6 scents and have 6 success's...it seemed very easy. Now adays it seems that if we get 6 scents to test, you MIGHT get one that is successful! Not sure why that is...maybe something different with the Fragrance companies and how they formulate samples...whatever the reason it's just not as easy as it used to be to come up with the next great scent. Sometimes we really like the scent but it's just not strong enough so we have the fragrance company "reformulate" it again, but stronger.....then go thru the testing process again. Sometimes this can happen multiple times before/if we get it the way we really want it. It's really a time consuming issue and not something to just make happen in a day or two. The whole process from start to finish can be weeks, sometimes months, in the making, then ordering the scent, getting delivery, making production...and offering to you. That all can take Months....and that's if we were successful all along the path.
So, here we are again....looking to try and find at least one or two new scents we can offer to our loyal Candle family fans.
Keep your fingers crossed....and as always, give us your comments about what YOU would like to see us offer. We've added some scents in the past that came about because of a "fan suggestion"...so, you never know.
Your Adirondack Candle Guy~
We're back in the testing mode in an effort to come up with new scents. If you aren't trying new things then you are just going with the flow. We want to always be adapting, growing, challenging ourselves to become bigger and better than we are. There are a couple of ways to come up with something new in the candle fragrance arena: 1) Take a couple of scents we already have and mix them together for a new scent. (we've done that before) 2) Get some entirely NEW scent samples from our scent companies and test them out.
Years ago when we were just starting, we found this to be a very easy process. We'd ask for some samples from the Scent company and they'd send us 5 or 6 to try. Most times we found most of them to be successful. By that I mean that the scent smelled great in the bottle (first test...gotta like it there before you go any further, right?), then we'd make a small batch and "test" them when we burned them. Did they give off the same smell we liked from the bottle? Did they "throw" the scent throughout the room? Some scents smell great but don't "throw" the scent...that's a Dud because if you our loyal customers can't smell them then they are not ultimately successful! Early on, we would test 6 scents and have 6 success's...it seemed very easy. Now adays it seems that if we get 6 scents to test, you MIGHT get one that is successful! Not sure why that is...maybe something different with the Fragrance companies and how they formulate samples...whatever the reason it's just not as easy as it used to be to come up with the next great scent. Sometimes we really like the scent but it's just not strong enough so we have the fragrance company "reformulate" it again, but stronger.....then go thru the testing process again. Sometimes this can happen multiple times before/if we get it the way we really want it. It's really a time consuming issue and not something to just make happen in a day or two. The whole process from start to finish can be weeks, sometimes months, in the making, then ordering the scent, getting delivery, making production...and offering to you. That all can take Months....and that's if we were successful all along the path.
So, here we are again....looking to try and find at least one or two new scents we can offer to our loyal Candle family fans.
Keep your fingers crossed....and as always, give us your comments about what YOU would like to see us offer. We've added some scents in the past that came about because of a "fan suggestion"...so, you never know.
Your Adirondack Candle Guy~
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Friends
Friends....all of us have them, some have many and many have few but to each of us a friend is a very important part of our life. So it is with us at the Adirondack Candle Company, and we're never more reminded of this then at our Annual Open House which just concluded for yet another 16th year (wow...hard to believe). It's always exciting to see new faces come through our door, for each new face is an opportunity to make another new friend...and you can never have enough of those. Yet what we find so appealing and rewarding each year is sitting in our usual spot, the comfy country couches in our living room, and hearing that door swing open....and then the suspense of "who is it that's going to walk through that door?".
This year for some strange reason we were surprised to see a number of people that for one reason or another had not made it to the Open House in a number of years. Maybe it was that little hand written note on the invitation, encouraging them to come see us, maybe their lives allowed them the window of opportunity to have a break in their busy schedules to come back and see us....no matter the reason, when they came into view and walked into our lives yet again, it was such a thrill to see them, hug them, and sit for a moment and share a laugh and catch up on things again. It happened quite a bit this year....maybe it's God way of bringing people back into our lives. Whatever the reason, it was very cool to reconnect.
We hope you have those opportunities where in your own way your "door opens" and you find that long lost friend you haven't seen in a while come back into your life, even if it's just briefly. For you see, many times you pick right up where you left off and walk away wondering why you didn't stay in touch to begin with.
So my friends...keep your front door unlocked....metaphorically speaking. Keep your heart open to reconnecting and you too will be surprised at those that come back into your lives. Embrace them and cherish them....I know we do. It's so great to see old friends, old dear friends.
Have a Great Adirondack Day!
your Adirondack Candle Guy~
This year for some strange reason we were surprised to see a number of people that for one reason or another had not made it to the Open House in a number of years. Maybe it was that little hand written note on the invitation, encouraging them to come see us, maybe their lives allowed them the window of opportunity to have a break in their busy schedules to come back and see us....no matter the reason, when they came into view and walked into our lives yet again, it was such a thrill to see them, hug them, and sit for a moment and share a laugh and catch up on things again. It happened quite a bit this year....maybe it's God way of bringing people back into our lives. Whatever the reason, it was very cool to reconnect.
We hope you have those opportunities where in your own way your "door opens" and you find that long lost friend you haven't seen in a while come back into your life, even if it's just briefly. For you see, many times you pick right up where you left off and walk away wondering why you didn't stay in touch to begin with.
So my friends...keep your front door unlocked....metaphorically speaking. Keep your heart open to reconnecting and you too will be surprised at those that come back into your lives. Embrace them and cherish them....I know we do. It's so great to see old friends, old dear friends.
Have a Great Adirondack Day!
your Adirondack Candle Guy~
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
exciting times
Hello All,
So, here we are in early November...let's take a look at what's happened recently. Broke my ankle in Mid September and now almost completely healed and working my way back to "normal". Still sore, but I will be back running before they said I would in 6 months..that's my goal. Be smart, but work hard to get back in shape!
The 16th Annual Open House was another success. So much work goes into this, and this year it was even more work for my wife Cathy as more of the burden fell upon her due to my broken ankle issue. She's such a wonderful person, I'm so blessed the Lord found her for me 25 years ago...what a blessing!
Business is booming...we're really at the "tipping point". That's a point where when you look back on something you realize that that was the time when things really started to snowball. That's where we're at. More and more stores are coming knocking on our door asking to carry our Adirondack Candle Company candles, what a very cool thing. We're in talks with another store that has 8 locations....wow!! Also, another business wants us to connect with them that in and of itself could be a HUGE opportunity!! It's soooo very exciting.
Also...the 'Daks a gret Life! wing of the business is in its infancy with some really exciting potential. That's "Mac" our Moose who has a positive outlook on life (www.facebook.com/daksagreatlife), so we'll see where that takes us also.
So, until we talk again, may you be blessed and we wish you a Great Adirondack Day!
your Adirondack Candle Guy~
So, here we are in early November...let's take a look at what's happened recently. Broke my ankle in Mid September and now almost completely healed and working my way back to "normal". Still sore, but I will be back running before they said I would in 6 months..that's my goal. Be smart, but work hard to get back in shape!
The 16th Annual Open House was another success. So much work goes into this, and this year it was even more work for my wife Cathy as more of the burden fell upon her due to my broken ankle issue. She's such a wonderful person, I'm so blessed the Lord found her for me 25 years ago...what a blessing!
Business is booming...we're really at the "tipping point". That's a point where when you look back on something you realize that that was the time when things really started to snowball. That's where we're at. More and more stores are coming knocking on our door asking to carry our Adirondack Candle Company candles, what a very cool thing. We're in talks with another store that has 8 locations....wow!! Also, another business wants us to connect with them that in and of itself could be a HUGE opportunity!! It's soooo very exciting.
Also...the 'Daks a gret Life! wing of the business is in its infancy with some really exciting potential. That's "Mac" our Moose who has a positive outlook on life (www.facebook.com/daksagreatlife), so we'll see where that takes us also.
So, until we talk again, may you be blessed and we wish you a Great Adirondack Day!
your Adirondack Candle Guy~
Monday, October 25, 2010
'Daks a great Life!
"Mac" the moose is the Adirondack Candle Company's new mascot, but he's more than our mascot, he was born to deliver a positive outlook on life with positive messages to our followers. This is an exciting new part to our business and we're going to see where it leads us.
For now you can become a fan of Mac at his facebook fan page at the following link: http://www.facebook.com/DaksagreatLife
So, we hope you enjoy this new part of the Adirondack Candle Company and more importantly we hope that in the end you realize that in many ways......'Daks a great Life!
your Adirondack Candle Guy
Saturday, October 16, 2010
"Have a Great Adirondack Day"
Hello again! I wanted to explain our "greeting/salutation" we use, the... "Have a Great Adirondack Day" saying.
As we leave you during our visits, and we wish you this salutation, we are hoping that most importantly you have a great day in general, and secondly that it's a great "Adirondack" day. That means a day filled with the simplicity and beauty that IS the Adirondack way of life. A day that would imagined to be sitting in an Adirondack chair on the edge of a calm lake on a warm summer night as the red sun sets in front of you over the pine covered hills in the distance. It doesn't get any better than that...does it?
It could also be a day spent indoors on a cool night, next to a fire in the lodge fireplace, sitting in a comfortable chair with your family/friends nearby.....oh yeah, and an Adirondack Candle Company candle burning on the nearby table giving you a "calmness" to the day.
Does it get any better than that? We don't think so.
That's why we always...as I will right now, say goodby for now and wish that you....
"Have a Great Adirondack Day"
Till we meet again...may you be blessed.
your Adirondack Candle Guy
As we leave you during our visits, and we wish you this salutation, we are hoping that most importantly you have a great day in general, and secondly that it's a great "Adirondack" day. That means a day filled with the simplicity and beauty that IS the Adirondack way of life. A day that would imagined to be sitting in an Adirondack chair on the edge of a calm lake on a warm summer night as the red sun sets in front of you over the pine covered hills in the distance. It doesn't get any better than that...does it?
It could also be a day spent indoors on a cool night, next to a fire in the lodge fireplace, sitting in a comfortable chair with your family/friends nearby.....oh yeah, and an Adirondack Candle Company candle burning on the nearby table giving you a "calmness" to the day.
Does it get any better than that? We don't think so.
That's why we always...as I will right now, say goodby for now and wish that you....
"Have a Great Adirondack Day"
Till we meet again...may you be blessed.
your Adirondack Candle Guy
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