It probably isn’t surprising that one of the largest trends for candle buyers is the rush toward candle oils, renewable candle options such as diffusers and warmers, as well as many types of smokeless and flame-free candles.

With “do it yourself” fever becoming a need as much as a craze, consumers are starting to gravitate toward items that appear to make life simpler and/or economically smarter. The savvy shopper likes to get the most reward from the buck and will buy things that can be easily replenished instead of repurchased. Consider the move toward candle oils. It is much simpler to buy one candle holder and simply replenish the oil (and occasionally wicks) instead of buying new candles each time.

This sensible move in consumer spending is also a big hit with the eco-conscious buyer. With environmentally friendly desires dramatically shifting the way retailers reach their bottom line, it is a smooth move and great marketing advantage to pay attention to the desires of these consumers. Recycling used candle jars is much simpler when one candle holder or diffuser can be reused many times with the refreshing of oils or new votive candles.

In the world of unique and upscale gifts, candles are a tried and true item. In the modern world of smart shopping, gifts that go the furthest are the ones that consumers will flock to buy. Scented oils, candle warmers, fragrance diffusers, flameless candles and more are just the next step in a long line of efficient yet elegant gifts. Please the people who value your store the most by offering these deliciously scented and unique gifts.

Orange Artisan Candle Holder

It’s hard to go wrong with the fabulous wholesale home accents created by environmentally conscious artisans at Pampeana. Offering a wide variety of home decor products ranging from hand painted tiles and murals, hand painted bird feeders, wooden ducks and animals, decorative glass vases, hand crafted suncatchers, unique hand crafted candle holders, handcrafted artisan jewelry and much more. With such a large selection of unique, gorgeous wholesale products, the artisans at Pampeana provide you with great gift ideas for the home and garden.

Handpainted Calla Lily Wall Mural

Visitors will be stunned by the brilliant colors and clever shapes of the wholesale artisan products at Pampeana. Art deco home decor products complement the lifestyles of many of today’s customers while more classic and traditional colors add a very rich beauty to many of Pampeana’s home accents. Unique handcrafted jewelry will also strike the fancy of customers as their friends “ooh” and “aah” over the original shapes, styles, and colors of the necklaces, bead earrings, bead and leather bracelets, and other jewelry. Do your store a colorful favor by adding Pampeana’s handcrafted and handpainted home accents and watch the registers light up!

Bask in the Warmth of Home Decor & the Glow of Candles

During the holidays, we focus on the people and things we are most thankful for in our lives. Show your customers how thankful you are by offering them the latest trends in home decor, candles and candle accessories. Home is where the heart is, and by offering these products in your store, customers will be able to share a piece of their heart with the ones they care for the most.

This FGmarket newsletter features vendors who can help you spice up your store; enticing your customers to do the same to their homes. These vendors feature a variety of home decor items; such as hand blown glass, iron pieces, candles, candle accessories and even ornaments to deck the halls during the holiday season. Their items run the gamut from the everyday to the exclusive, one of a kind piece. Read on to find out about all of the unique pieces they have to offer.

Wholesale Candles Light Up Sales

Everyone loves the soft glow of candles and the delectable fragrances they send wafting through the air. The variety of scented candles is endless, and by offering a wide array of scents to your customers, they will be able to fill their homes with the scents they love. While many people focus purely on the scent of a candle, others choose to focus on candle accessories to decorate their favorite space. Sierra Mountain Candle and Orchard Harvest can help you fill your store with desirable fragrances and elegant candle accessories.

Mother's Day Candle Sierra Mountain Candle

Sierra Mountain Candle specializes in a variety of different scents and ensures that each candle is brimming with aroma and equipped with an extended burn time. Offering the latest and greatest in candle accessories, such as candle warmers and candle lamps, Sierra can provide a complete product line appealing to a wide customer base. Take note of the Signature Aurora Lamp, which actually takes on the color of the burning candle, releasing your desired fragrance within minutes as it melts from the top down. These unique and aromatic candles and accessories compliment seasonal sales as well as every day sales.

Square Soy Candle Orchard Harvest Candles

If it is all natural your customer craves, Orchard Harvest Candles has it. They offer nature inspired soy, palm, and vegetable wax candles. These scented candles are made with cotton wicks, are soot free, and environmentally friendly. Your customer will feel comfortable burning their eco-friendly soy candles while adding a bit of elegance with their iron votive candleholders. The possibilities are endless. Candles are not just candles any more; they are a home decor essential. Fill your store with a variety of wholesale candles and wholesale candle accessories, and your customers will find the fragrance and elegance incredibly hard to resist.

Cultivate Sales With Wholesale Home Decor Items

Help your customers find their sense of style by offering a wide assortment of home decor items. Glassware, iron works, trays, boxes and other pieces of home decor help surround your customers with beauty. Fill your store with home decor products from these vendors and customers will surround your counter with their purchases.

Aurora Glass Home Decor Vase

If your customers seek distinctive glassware, Aurora Glass offers an eclectic yet timeless variety of stained glass. From the traditional church-like pieces of stained glass to the eccentric, Dante’s Inferno inspired pieces, the designs of Jon Erickson are sure to turn heads and touch the souls of your customers. Their wish is his command, as custom orders are always welcome. Let your customer know that you will go the extra mile for them to ensure that your selection of home decor meets their deepest desires.

Iron Art Glass Designs Iron & Glass Home Decor

Iron Art Glass Designs offers you the best of both worlds in iron work accents and glassware pieces. They pride themselves in being the premium source for wholesale iron home decor. All pieces are hand made and of European origin. Fire tools, mirrors, candle holders, sconces, lamps and much more are offered in a wide variety of colors, shapes, and combinations. Show your customers the elegance in the simplicity of wrought iron pieces. Open their eyes to the sophistication of glass pieces that turn light into a mixture of exotic colors. Help them to see that it is the little touches that make a world of difference in their home decor.

Home Decor Ideas J Fleet Designs Laquerware

Scatter your home with the designs from J. Fleet Designs, LTD. They specialize in the Asian art of Laquerware. These hand-crafted boxes, trays, picture frames and decorative balls are the perfect accent to any room in your home. The uniqueness and individuality of these home decor pieces add a refined and elegant touch to your customer’s home. Increase your sales by offering truly original pieces that no one else can offer. Share with them the luxury of owning such beautiful, one of a kind home accents.
Whether it is the scent of a soy candle your customer craves or the intricacies of a stained glass piece, filling your store with a variety of home decor is a must. Make your store the place customers come to turn their house into a home for the holidays or year round. You’ll can find more innovative and trendy home decor wholesalers and candle wholesalers at FGmarket.
Contributor: Ashley Cupp

With Fathers Day fast approaching – June 18th this year – you’ll want to be sure you have the merchandise on hand that will help your customers find the perfect gift for that guy who’s always “so hard to buy for”. Fortunately, we’ve already done some of the shopping for you.

Workman's 'Me and My Dad' is an inspirational gift idea.

From books and framed artwork to novelty candles and masculine skin care products, we’ve got the goods! The vendors listed on FGMarket’s Fathers Day Holiday and Special Occasion pages are full of great gift ideas, sure to please dear ol’ Dad. To discover the particulars, keep reading…
For starters, Workman Publishing Company is a publisher that’s always around big ideas. Specializing in books, calendars, and popular trends, Workman has a commitment to publishing them with a mixture of care and innovation. Perhaps more telling is the fact that over two-thirds of all the books they’ve published in the last twenty-eight years are still in print, with a fair share of titles that have topped the one million mark. Their Top Ten Gift Ideas for Dads include such books as “Me and My Dad” (dozens of touching testimonies about dads straight from their kids) and “Famous Last Words” (a collection of the notable parting statements of well-known individuals).

Gifts from Willow Creek Press appeal to nature-loving dads.

More great books for dads can be found at Willow Creek Press. Among their Father’s Day suggestions are several titles geared toward the outdoorsman, including “Eat Like a Wild Man”, a collection of some of the wildest, most delicious wild game and fish recipes that Sports Afield magazine has published over the last 110 years.
Another good choice is the endearing “Just Dads”, a unique gift book that combines engaging and interesting male animal parenting photographs with insightful fatherhood quotations. Willow Creek Press is dedicated to providing retailers with quality books, calendars and greeting cards at competitive discounts with fast and flawless customer service.

Brookins fishing fly candles are eye-catching and unique.

Dads who like to fish, or are simply outdoor enthusiasts, will appreciate the clever Fly Candles from Brookins. These high-quality, clear gel candles feature a variety of authentic fishing flies and their leader lines, hand-tied by creative anglers, “floating” in a river-bottom scene of rocks and gravel, all contained within an apothecary-type glass jar.
A gel candle will burn roughly three times longer than a comparable, traditional paraffin wax candle. Available in two sizes and a number of natural scents that are reminiscent of the great outdoors, such as “Tall Timber” and “Montana Sage”, when the Fly Gel Candle is lit in a dark room, the river scene comes alive as if the suns rays were casting down on the rocks below.

Papa-pleasing gifts with sealife themes by Mistco

A wide variety of Fathers Day gifts, including books about how to clean and cook the fish you’ve just caught, can be found at MistCo, Inc.. Mistco’s line focuses on a strong nature, wildlife and water life theme, offering an extensive selection of quality gift items, souvenirs, novelties, and of course books which encompass these subjects.
Highlights include painted metal candle holders with wildlife themes, beautiful pewter or wood picture frames, heavy cast-aluminum paper weights and memo holders, and wine accessories, such as corkscrews and bottle stoppers. In order to keep up with ever-changing trends, Mistco is continually adding new items to the line, giving retailers fresh, new ideas and merchandise that uniquely blends current styles into their nature themes.

Awakening all-in-one gift set for all his skin care needs

Dads who work with their hands, tend their gardens, play tennis, ride their bicycles, or spend a lot of time outdoors need to pay special attention to their skin with products specifically for masculine skin care needs.
Awakening Mineral Therapies For Healthy Skin is the formulator of unique, proprietary, mineral-rich skin care products for active hands, feet and skin. Their concentrated, non-sticky, non-greasy creams and lotions require just a single drop to treat both hands. They are made with essential oils and botanical extracts, ingredients reported to have beneficial impact on the health of skin, and are loaded with minerals from the Dead Sea, including potassium, a natural hydrator, and magnesium, a natural anti-allergen for all skin types. Awakening Hands is a serious, ultra-potent, moisture therapy for hard working hands, with a subtle aroma of ginger with cinnamon & myrrh. Awakening Skin is an ideal four-season health maintenance regimen for all skin exposed to the elements, including the face, and has an understated aroma of the Rose of Sharon. These and their other fine products are packaged in a variety of sizes and formats.

Colorfair's framed art makes a great Fathers Day gift!

More great gift ideas come from Colorfair, whose website offers a large body of artwork in a wide range of sizes, pricing and subject matter. These beautiful framed prints are rich with themes of nature and wildlife, sea coasts, waterfronts and lighthouses, golf, travel, and the Old West.
Colorfair has two in-house artists that do artist remarques (hand-painted extensions of the original scene) on the mats and frames of pictures, resulting in unique and fascinating presentations. This allows the retailer to sell original artwork without the expense of an entire original piece. Any of these upscale works of art could be a wonderful, decorative addition to a wall in Dad’s office or den.

Cardthartic has touching cards for Fathers day

And finally, at the very least, a charming Fathers Day greeting card may be just the thing that your customer needs.
You’ll find some excellent choices among the Passages line of cards from Cardthartic. With poetic photographic images on the front, accompanied by simple but sincere messages inside, there is something for everyone in this tasteful collection. Cardthartic’s motto, “honor your emotions”, comes through in every card they produce.

You’re sure to discover more outstanding gift ideas among the listings on FGMarket’s Fathers Day Holiday and Special Occasion pages, so take a look. But don’t delay! That special day when we honor the men who have contributed so much to our lives is just a few weeks away, and you’ll want to be ready when their sons and daughters come looking for “just the right thing”.

This newsletter is the third and final installment of our series featuring some of the wonderful Mother’s Day Holiday and Special Occasion gift vendors listed on FGMarket.com.

Decorative Ceramic Canap© Plate from Fitz and Floyd

For almost half a century, Fitz and Floyd has been recognized as the undisputed leader in the design and manufacture of hand-painted ceramic giftware and unique home decor collectibles. Their suggestions for Mother’s Day include the Flora & Fauna Collection, featuring a garden of bright flowers, white rabbits and tasty vegetables embellishing platters, pitchers, plates, a pair of salt and pepper shakers, and other tableware and figurines. The Garden Rhapsody series includes decorative pieces such as a pillar candle holder, a vase, a lidded box, and a small or large basket among other items, rendered in pastel-colored flowers, bunnies and ducklings.
Another collection, Old World Rabbits, includes a canape plate in the form of a flower-filled basket, a teapot shaped like an elegant lady hare dressed in Tyrolean attire, a similar lady rabbit posed as a candle stick, and a beautiful cookie jar, also shaped like a basket of flowers being visited by a delicate butterfly. Often quite elegant, sometimes whimsical, Fitz and Floyd is always a prized and treasured gift, destined to become a family heirloom.

Classic Cottage Charm's Hand-painted Wall Sign

You’ll find country cottage-inspired gifts at Classic Cottage Charm, where ’shabby-chic’ is the order of the day. Their decorative wall signs, hand-painted in a variety of colors and design motifs, feature warm sentiments like “Welcome”, “Home Sweet Home”, and “Practice Happiness”. The pink-striped “Queen Mom” sign might just be a hot seller for Mother’s Day!
Adorable Cottage Birdhouses are available in two sizes and an array of colors and can be used indoors or out. The darling six-inch Candle Sticks come in six different color and design patterns. Framed Cottage Prints are copies from the artists’ hand-painted original artwork, one of which bears a poem entitled Mother: “I’ve got a sweetheart, and I would have no other. She’s more than all the world to me, because her name is ‘Mother’”. Irresistible!

Georgetown Home & Garden's Stained Glass Garden Stakes

For more home, garden and patio gifts, take a look at the delightful merchandise offered by Georgetown Home and Garden. Their stained glass Sun Catches are lively and colorful, featuring design themes like frogs, fairies, mermaids, flamingoes, parrots and other characters. Frogs and fairies also form the basis of their line of copper and stained glass Garden Stakes. Whimsical metal sculpture planters are created in the shapes of dogs, cats, angels, old farm vehicles, even a four-piece train set, and are designed to hold standard-sized grower pots. The clever products created by the artisans at Georgetown have a sense of humor and heart, and they’re sure to appeal to moms everywhere.

Hearts & Lighthouse Mudpie Melters from Cranberry Barn

One could say that the items offered by Cranberry Barn are both home- and heart-warming. Moms will love their nostalgic collection of homey Jar Candles, in a variety of shapes and sizes. Poured in classic apothecary jars, rustic mason or jelly jars with wooden lids, or 1940-style glass “kitchen” boxes, these candles are loaded with personality. Choose from among dozens of enticing and original scents, like “Basil & Nectarine”, “Bayberry & Twigs”, “Granny’s Kitchen”, and “Canadian Wilderness”.
Their unique 25-watt electric warmers are made of perforated tin in several styles, evoking Americana-style craftsmanship and perfect for slowly melting the little one-ounce MudPies, which are designed to add fragrance to the home. Cranberry Barn also produces a line of fragranced rosehip potpourri with aromas like “Buttery Maple”, “Coffee Cake & Spice”, and “Cinnamon Medley”. These blends come packaged in a clear cello bag labeled with old brown paper bag stock and tied with a homespun rag.
As you can readily see, the vendors of FGMarket have a wonderful selection of Mother’s Day gift ideas. And we’ve barely scratched the surface. You’ll find even more great ideas and outstanding suppliers among the Mothers Day Holiday & Special Occasion suppliers listed on the FGMarket website. Each of them is eager to help you meet the needs of your Mother’s Day shoppers. It couldn’t be easier!
Every mom really is special, and every mother’s child wants to let that special woman know just how much she is truly loved with a distinctive and inspired Mother’s Day gift. Be the source of that gift this year. Do your shopping at FGMarket and make your mama proud!

It appears that the market for candles has never been hotter!(pun intended) Candle sales have really taken off, as consumers, driven by their nesting instincts, seek to create warm, cozy and relaxing environments at home; and the trend continues to grow. Choices in candles have never been greater, as candle manufacturers, both large and small, continue to introduce new styles, colors, and fragrances. Scented candles are an especially hot category, and they’re available in every form, including votives, pillars, container candles, soy candles, gel candles, and more. Besides their popularity as accents to home decor, candles are used to generate aromatherapy, symbolize celebration, mark ceremony, and enhance romance. From moderately-priced versions to far more elaborate styles, candles are a perfect gift. Let’s examine some of the candle options that are out there.

Trendy, more natural scents by Bridgewater

As we’ve said, scented candles lead the way in sales and popularity, and candle-makers are becoming more and more creative with their fragrance lines. In a move away from heavily-perfumed or artificial-smelling fragrances, many candle scents are now being developed from nostalgic or organic themes. For example, the clean fresh smell of the “Laundry Line,” offered by Bridgewater Candle Company or “High Cotton” from Wicks n’ More, takes us back to childhood memories of summers in the backyard. Unique environmental fragrances abound as well, like “Hay Ride” from Solas Candle Company and “Meadow” made by California Fluerish.
Floral-inspired scents remain strong sellers, such as the subtle “Cutting Garden” from Seda France, and sweet “Alyssum,” manufactured by Canyon Creek Candle Company. The aroma of food always arouses a customer’s hunger for more, with flavors like “Banana Nut Bread,” made by Ardore Candles and “Jelly Bean” from Simply Pampered. Remember that olfactory memories — those associated with the sense of smell — are the strongest ones we have, and it’s often the sense of recognition provided by scented candles that motivates a purchase.

Inbal's soothing 'Pure Clarity' aromatherapy candles

In addition to these trends, there is also a focus on aromatherapy. Customers are seeking out fragrances that not only smell nice, but also make them feel good, and scented candles are a natural match. Many companies, such as Inbal, are offering candles with names like “Energy” and “Pure Clarity” to complement their lines of essential oils and other aromatherapy products. Candles like these are a good sales mix with potpourri, body lotions, bath products, etc.
Ask anyone what candles are made of and the usual response is wax, but that is only part of the answer. Candle wax can be composed of many different materials, including beeswax, paraffin, stearin, and palm oil. One of the newest trends in candles is soy candles. These candles are made of a soy-based wax that has some advantages over other materials. For example, soy candles are cleaner burning, producing almost no smoke or soot, and they’re less expensive than beeswax candles. While paraffin has its uses, soy wax is environmentally friendly since it is made from soy beans, a renewable resource, rather than from fossil fuels. Since soy wax is usually softer than paraffin, soy candles are often sold as poured candles, meaning that the wax has been poured into a heatproof container or glass jar. Consumer awareness of soy candles is growing, and Ocean Street Candles is among several candle-making companies that use 100% soy wax in their products.

Jar candles of 100% soy wax from Ocean Street Candles

Poured candles, also called filled candles and container candles, have been growing in popularity and availability with most manufacturers offering them now. Votive candles, pillar candles, and floating candles, available in scented and unscented varieties, are typically made with a wax that is hardened by stearin, a white odorless wax found in many natural fats. Stearin raises the melting point, adds opacity, and helps to resist bending when used in the manufacture of candles. It also helps these types of candles to hold their shape, even while burning.
Remember that votive candles should always be burned in a container of some sort to collect and pool the melted wax. Votives burn longer if the container is relatively small and fits snugly around the candle. Filling with about 1/8-inch of water and then placing your new votive candle in the bottom of the container will allow a burned votive candle to pop out of the container more easily later. You can also try refrigerating the votive candle in its container for 15 minutes or so. The wax will shrink somewhat, allowing the spent candle wax to be removed more easily.
Whenever you light a pillar or column candle, allow it to burn long enough that a pool of melted wax forms across most of the diameter of the candle. This will extend the life of the candle and keep it burning more evenly. Pillar candles should be extinguished by bending the wick over into the pool of melted wax, using a nonflammable instrument. This little-known technique eliminates smoking of an extinguished wick. After extinguishing the flame, re-center the wick.

Display of Candlemart's floating rose candles

Floating candles offer a festive way to decorate a table. Place one or more floating candles in a clear glass bubble bowl or other container that’s partially filled with water. Then put the bowl on top of a mirror laid flat on the table. The glass and the water increase the reflection from the floating candles, bouncing light all around the table. For evening events outdoors, place floating candles in fountains or fishponds to enhance the mood.
Here are a few more candle tips, courtesy of Candlemart:

• Candles will fade if left in the light for an extended period of time. Never put candles in a window or directly expose to bright outdoor light or indoor spotlights.
• Keep lit candles out of drafts; drafts create large flames, shortening the burning time.
• Wicks should be trimmed to 1/4-inch from wax for longer burning time.
• Let spilled wax solidify so when it hardens it can be removed in pieces by covering with a paper towel or a brown paper grocery bag and gently pressing out with a warm iron. The wax will melt and be absorbed into the paper.
• A candle will burn more slowly and evenly if it’s refrigerated before using. Wrap the candle in plastic or foil before refrigerating to prevent wicks from absorbing moisture.

By now you should be waxing enthusiastic about candles and burning with desire to sell them in your store! All punning aside, candles are the perfect companion gifts. They generate year-round sales; they blend well with other product lines, such as potpourri, room fresheners and personal care products; and with so many styles from which to choose, they provide a great opportunity to offer your customers something unique. Check out our FGmarket candle vendors to see the entire selection.