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Finkleberry was a nickname of mine as a kid. It still is to this day. Read more about us below!
Customer Comments...
We love to make scented candles! More importantly, we love making great scented candles.
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An article about us many years ago...
The Washington Times Couple pours personal touch into scented candle creations September 6, 1999 Section: D BUSINESS TIMES Edition: 2 Page: D8 Byline: By Lisa Chinn FREDERICKSBURG FREE LANCE-STAR Illustration: Photo, Maria Finkle of Finkleberry's Candleshop uses nail clippers to trim wicks on scented candles., By AP At Brian and Maria Finkle's front door, visitors are greeted by more than a smiling face and two wide-eyed cats. Sometimes, the succulent scent of a hot-baked apple pie drifts outside. Other days, it's the delicious aroma of buttery sugar cookies or the savory smell of French vanilla, so strong passers-by would swear a homemade cake was cooling inside. But don't drop by on an empty stomach. The tantalizing scents may tempt the taste buds, but the treats the Finkles whip up only smell good enough to eat. The couple started making and selling scented container candles from their home in the Lees Hill area of Spotsylvania County in April 1998. The venture began as a playful pastime - a diversion from his job as a fourth-grade teacher and hers as a teacher's aide. She now works for Intuit. "We just thought it was a neat thing," Mr. Finkle said. "We were just going to do it as a hobby - to make Christmas presents and that kind of thing." But after experimenting with waxes, scents and dyes, and testing their products on friends and relatives, the Finkles are taking a serious stab at the candle-making business. Finkleberry's Candleshop features candles in 10 delectable scents, including strawberry and blueberry, and some non-food-related varieties like gardenia, sea breeze and April showers. They are available to area folks at the Fredericksburg Pottery Co. and Ben Franklin, and to people all over the world via the Internet (www.finkleberry.com). As the business has expanded, its begun to outgrow the Finkle household. Already, it's wreaked havoc in the kitchen. Mr. Finkle melts the wax on the couple's four-burner stove, then pours the hot liquid into jars lined up on the counter. A shower curtain spread across the kitchen floor helps catch drips, but still there is fallout. A thin film of wax covers the microwave, counter and floor. "An unfortunate side effect of the good wax we have is that it sticks to everything," Mr. Finkle said. "A lot of kitchen utensils have gone by the wayside because of me," he said. "He's using all my stuff," Mrs. Finkle said, laughing. "He's ruining everything." Wooden spoons, place mats, a soap dish, a vegetable peeler and a plastic cutting board have all fallen victim to the wax. Necessary supplies spill into the family room, where a cabinet houses an assortment of scents and dyes. A big room downstairs has shelves of jars, labels and other materials. Fifty-four-pound boxes of wax are lined up under strips of brightly illustrated ABCs in what used to be the couple's daughter's playroom. "We had to take it over," Mrs. Finkle said. The Finkles learned a lot about the business on the Internet, but there was still a lot they had to learn on their own. "Its like a big old science project," Mr. Finkle said. They experimented with waxes, looking for one with just the right consistency - sticky enough to mold easily to the sides of the jars and to hold the scents. They searched for the right containers, and circulated surveys among friends to narrow a list of prospective fragrances from more than 100 down to 10. Some scents were appealing enough to try but later were rejected, like a "bad honeydew that smelled like watermelon" and one called "breath of angels" that Mr. Finkle said "smelled nothing like the breath of any angel I want to see." They toyed with different formulas for adding scent and color to each type of candle. They tested wicks and figured out how to keep them in place while the wax was poured. "That was experimentation," Mrs. Finkle said, "and a lot of arguing. Even our labels have evolved." They decided on jars from Pennsylvania, wax from Georgia, wicks from New York, scents and dyes from New Jersey and boxes from Texas. It took over a year to come up with the winning combination. Now that they are happy with their candles, they are looking to add new scents to their regular line, and to introduce a line of aromatherapy candles. They would like to purchase commercial equipment, move production out of their home, hire employees, and begin selling wholesale across the country. "We would like to do this full time," Mrs. Finkle said. "You know, just have this as our career." They would also like to share their success. If the business continues to grow, they would like to sponsor a youth sports team, donate to the Make-A-Wish Foundation or offer a local scholarship. "The main reputation we want to develop is that we do give back to the community," Mr. Finkle said. Just over a year since their first candle was created, the Finkles have many more options to consider. But their dedication to quality has remained unchanged. "Everything is hand-done. We have no machines or anything," Mrs. Finkle said. "Sometimes the label might be crooked. It just adds that personal touch." |
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Why Finkleberry? |
