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The Tip is 'Teach Grandchildren' One day, while I was on the Made In America Secrets site my granddaughter noticed and asked me what I was doing. I told her about the Big Secret and as I explained, she began to ask me more questions. After several minutes she left my office to play with her little sister. Months had gone by and until recently, I had forgotten about that moment. She was visiting again and I was talking to her about buying a custom printed T-Shirt. She immediately told me about a website that I could use to buy one. Wow I thought, she is only eight years old and already teaching me. The most amazing thing then happened, she said "Pops they sell Made In America T-Shirts". Thanks to her I purchased six custom Made In USA T-Shirts. Her name is Britton, she understands the Big Secret and I love it when she tells me her Little Secrets! Now she is ten and writing a screenplay called Mertastic. It is a story about a mermaid. Recently, she was visiting our house again and using my computer. She called me to come into my office and of course I came to her because that is what grandparents love to do. One of the reasons I love to be with her is because it is always interesting to see what she is up to. This time, she needed a mermaid tail for her movie, so we began to look around using Google. Her mother is a talented seamstress and will make the tail so we were looking for fabric that would be satisfy my granddaughter's vision of her mermaid tail. Once again we began to talk about Made in America and therefore started to investigate the country of origin of the fabrics she was considering. Because of that experience Made in USA fabric is now one of Made in America Secrets products. Thank you, Britton. Buying Tip Continued - Read more on Made in America Products by Colonial Candle Crafters Colonial Candlecrafters' candle shop was started on top of a family's kitchen stove. Now owned by Patricia and Gregory Hess, the business was the brainchild of Pat's mother and father, Beverly and Howard Bird. We had this tiny kitchen, Pat recalls. One candle mold grew to three molds, three molds grew to five and before long mom and dad moved operations to the basement and were making 100 candles at a time. They arrived at a juncture: either do something with this so-called hobby or quit. In 1971, the Birds purchased property two miles south of Lewisburg on Route 15, the current site of the existing Colonial Candlecrafters shop. They officially opened the store on March 3, 1972 in one long room on the first floor and two years later enlarged the space. This has been my only job. Pat HessPat literally grew up with the business of candle-making. She started working at the shop at 14. After high school, she graduated from Bloomsburg State University and came back to Lewisburg in 1979. She managed the business from 1979 to 1982. In 1982 mom and dad decided to sell the business. Greg and I had been married three years. I said 'Let's either buy it, or move to Florida.' I couldn't stand by and let someone else buy the business I had not only grown up with, but also one I had truly grown to love. Over the years many changes have taken place in the candle-making industry, but one factor has remained the same: At a time when most candle makers have switched to an automated manufacturing process, Colonial Candlecrafters has stayed with its tradition of hand-pouring its candles, despite the lengthy process. We have spent many hours deciphering why certain candles burn differently than others. There are numerous variables which help to develop the way a candle performs. We put everything we have learned over the past 35 years into making our candles, which makes them a very special product. Pat HessCandle making has been part of our family tradition for over a third of a century. We take pride in the fact that all our candles are of the highest quality standards, ensuring great fragrance impacts and long burning times. Our candle makers hand poured about 80,000 pounds of wax last year alone! From our humble beginnings, we have grown into a multifaceted candle business offering candles of many sizes and shapes as well as other candle related products. Catering to guests near and far, Colonial Candlecrafters has grown from a family hobby to a full-time business. Whether you are drawn to color or fragrance in a candle, Colonial Candlecrafters has a variety of both from which to choose. |
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