Apr. 30—THOMASVILLE — Gary and Alma Smith were born and raised in the South, where the distinctive smells of the region — from sweet tea and Georgia peaches to magnolia blossoms and freshly harvested tobacco — are as familiar as an old friend.
So when the Thomasville couple decided to get into the candle-making business, they focused on those familiar scents.
"Everything we do, we've based it on our experience of living here in the South," Gary says of the Thomasville-based Southern Lights Candle Co., which the Smiths launched this month. "The scents we came up with are all relaxing scents that make you think of the South."
The online company offers hand-poured, 12-ounce Mason jar candles in 10 distinctively Southern, all-natural fragrances, including Southern Magnolia, Beach Dreams, Blackberry Cobbler, Savannah Sweet Tea, Carolina Sweet Tobacco, Fresh Cut Grass and more.
In addition, the company's website (southernlightscandleco.com) soon will introduce 9-ounce tumbler candle jars, as well as scented candle melts and a line of hand-cut scented soaps. The tumblers will have such scents as Carolina Pine, Magnolia Blossom and Honeysuckle Jasmine, while the soaps will include such fragrances as Lavender and Lemongrass.
Gary first got involved in the candle-making business about 20 years ago, but strictly as a charitable project raising funds for a friend's brother who needed a handicap-accessible van. His efforts eventually evolved into the Blue Ridge Candle Co., a company so successful that Gary says he "couldn't keep up with all the orders."
Now he's back with Southern Lights, a slightly less ambitious venture that he and Alma hope will tap into people's love of all things Southern.
"We feel like people will be interested in what we have, because people love the South and the feelings associated with the South," Gary says. "For example, we have a scent called Georgia Peach, and all you've got to do is get a whiff of it and you'll think of Georgia peaches, or the peaches down in the sandhills of North Carolina."
The candles, which are made and hand-poured in Thomasville, are available not only online but also in assorted boutiques and gift shops.
The Smiths are getting into the candle-making business at a time when the popularity of candles seems to be burning brightly. According to market research, in 2019 the candle industry was valued at over $3.5 billion, and that figure was projected to exceed $6.6 billion by 2027.
"I just think people love how candles make your home smell," Alma says. "You can get whatever scent you like, and when people walk into your home to visit, that's the first thing they'll say is how good your home smells."
jtomlin@hpenews.com — 336-888-3579
jtomlin@hpenews.com — 336-888-3579