....A trip several years ago to the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina has lead Ella Schmit to begin her own cottage industry in candle making.  She first saw the candles at her friend's house and said that the sent was what really caught her notice.
...."It was wonderful," she said. 
....Schmit asked where she could find the candles and learned that Bernice Owens, a senior citizen, had been making the candles by hand with the help of her brother Jim Hall.  Owens started the business as a hoppy to keep actice.
....It started out as a small operation in Owens' bsement but it soon got out of hand, according to Schmit.  The demand became so large that no more Christmas orders be accepted after October.
....The candles began to be a standard on Schmit's gift giving lift.  She became friends with Owens and Hall through her fascination of their candle making venture.  Evenutally, she started taking orders for the candles.  Friends and family wanted to have access to them too.
...."Each candle is made by hand because Bernice said that it gives more personal touch than if they were made by machine," Schmit said.  "Every candle is one of a kind."
About a year ago, she learned that her friends were going to retire and sell the business.  She started ordering from the new company, but slight differences in the manufacturing process left her wishing that her friends were still making the candles. 
....Schmit approached Owens about the possibility of learning how she crafted the candles with the idea that she would begin making and selling candles here in Oxford.
....Owens was delighted for her to try her hand at candle making.  Hall traveled to Oxford to instruct Schmit in the steps and procedures necessary to produce a quality product.  She started out with 600 pounds of wax, about 10 different dyes, and around 15 scents that can be blended to make different fragrances.  Additives are used in the formula for a smooth, glossy finish.
....She has since doubled her order for supplies and has started making and taking orders for the candles.  She can make dozens of different varieties, all with its own distinctive look and aroma. 
....They include:  apple cinnamon (her personal favorite), apple orange, cucumber melon, pumpkin spice, honeydew, three kinds of cinnamon, sea mist, raspberry, vanilla bean cofee, coffee, magnolia, vanilla and French vanilla.
Schmit sells the candles retail from the Granville Video and Communications store, located on Hillsboro Street.  She is actively looking for other retail outlets in Oxford.  The candles are also available wholesale in bulk.
....They are being distributed under the name "JohnElla which is combination of her name and someone who has been very supportive and encouraging of the fledgling company.
....The candles have been flying off the shelf at the video store as fast as she can make them.  They are very popular and Schmit is getting a lot of repeat buiness from customers who love the way one candle can scent an entire house.
....Right now the most popular fragrances are sea mist and cinnamon.  Each candle is poured and allowed to cool.  Then decorative elements such as flowers, dehydrated fruit, coffee bean and cinnamon sticks are added.  Finally the exterior layer is poured to seal the candle, which may burn for up to 70 hours. 
....The two-pour method of candle making renders these candles safer, according to Schmit.
...."It's an art," she said.  "I have to learn and perfect it.  These candles are not perfect, they are unique"
 

By 2003, JohnElla Candles has grown to include dozens of new scents and the candles are still flying off the shelves.  In 2004, JohnElla Candles expanded globally to reach millions of customers on the internet. 
 
 

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