You could call her a mad scientist, as she stirs up various ingredients in the basement of her home.
But Kourtenay Main is quite friendly. And, what she's doing is mixing the ingredients for candles made from soy.
"Everything I put in it, is the best I can put in it," she said.
Soy wax is derived from soy oil which comes from soy beans. But why soy?
"It's natural. It has good burn qualities. It's not gonna give you all the black soot that a lot of candles make," Kourtenay said. "So, it's healthier for you to breathe that as opposed to other candles."
The black soot Kourtenay refers to can cause damage to walls and can get into people's lungs, she said.
Choice Candle candles burn cleanly. Choice Candle uses cotton core wicks, which Kourtenay says also helps with a clean burn. Kourtenay says watch out for lead core candles, which can lead to lead poisoning. She says lead core wicks have pretty much been taken out of the candle industry in the United States, but that some candles from overseas may use them.
Kourtenay says it only takes 15 minutes to make a candle.
She preps her jars first, placing in two wicks instead of one. Kourtenay says that helps prevent center or column melting.
Kourtenay then places color chips in a container and adds melted wax. She stirs until the chips have melted. Then fragrance is added. Kourtenay doesn't measure she lets her nose tell her when she's added enough. Finally the mixture is poured into a decorative jar and set aside to cool.
Kourtenay says Choice Candle scented candles will continue to give off fragrance unlike some other candles.
"I know that some of 'em don't scent their candles all the way through," she said. "They'll just scent the top. So, you'll smell it and go 'oh, that smells good.' And then you get it home and you burn it., and you wonder why 'I can't even smell it.' "
Choice Candle scents include cinnamon and spiced apples, rose, lavender and sugar cookie. And she'll custom design your candle in any color you want.
Kourtenay says she loves her customers, and they keep her going.
"They're like my biggest cheerleaders. They say 'oh that's really great.' or 'hey, I've got an idea for you.' They wanna see me do well too," she said. "I wanted to make a candle that if I felt good enough to burn it and use it in my house. I wanted other people to feel that confidence as well.
Business info
Choice Candle For more information, you may call (785) 273-0591 or log on to the candle shop's http://www.choicecandle.com
