New shop lights up Old Town LV

photo by Sara Kirk

Janet Manley wicks her own homemade candles in the back of her new shop on D Street, The Candle, Linen & Soap Factory. Manley is a self-taught candle maker, who studied computer science but wanted to start something new once her children left for college. She took about two years to come up with the idea for the store and six months to open it.

by Julie Kim
Staff Writer

There is a new home-specialty store in town that is sweet to the senses – a welcome addition to this downtown’s low-key lineup.

The month-old The Candle, Linen & Soap Factory is the newest addition to modest array of stores and restaurants that make up Old Town La Verne.

But people are already spreading the word about its lineup of fragrant candles, hand-embroidered linen and all-natural soaps.

From the custom-built counter to the carefully selected sets of tissue paper, gift boxes and bags, owner Janet Manley, 52, has been there for the entire six-month journey of building and opening the new store.

The San Dimas resident came up with the idea of starting a shop while bored at home.

“I’m a very creative person,” said the Cal Poly Pomona computer science major. “I do oil painting and cooking and gardening, but my back couldn’t handle that last one anymore.

“I just needed to get out and do something.”

Doing something resulted in going to embroidery trade shows and needlework training seminars.

She also taught herself how to make candles.

“It’s much more complicated than people think. Everything needs to be right – the temperature for the fragrance, the measurement, the wick, the color…”

For example, too much scent could stop the candle from burning efficiently, Manley said.

In addition, the original dye chips for the coloring look completely different from the finished product.

But her attention to fine details is what makes The Candle, Linen & Soap Factory so exclusive.

“It’s all about personalized service,” she said. “It’s hard to find custom-made gifts for under $20.”

In fact, the customer can go so far as to request specific fragrances for the candles and soaps, and even adjust the colors.

The client can even ask for special designs on towels and other fabrics for events such as weddings and anniversaries.

Even some of the supplementary items in the store, which Manley gets from all over the nation, are personalized products.

The Factory offers multiple hand-made goods: potpourri from Julian, Calif., hand-painted soap dishes – including one with a baby duck backstroking on the base of the dish – and vegetable glycerin soaps in various patterns and scents.

But some University of La Verne students like Nicholas Pulido, a sophomore music major, and Erica Holmes, a freshman psychology major, didn’t think the Factory is beneficial to students.

“I would rather have a shopping center in La Verne,” Holmes said.

Manley, however, keep college students in mind.

“Everybody needs soaps and candles… and we have a lot of things under $10,” she said. “Have you ever been to a dorm room that smells good?”

Candles at the Factory range from about $2.30 to $18. Tealights, tiny 3/4-inch candles, are $1 each.

The Candle, Linen & Soap Factory also sells charming complementary products such as candles shaped as slippers ($3.50) and cactus plants ($10) and tiny floating candles that look like colorful peppermint candies ($8 for a tube of 6).

But the cost-efficient standout is the gel candle by Primal Elements, which looks like a colorful bowl of glittery, waxed cubes. It costs about $5.50 for one hefty-sized portion, and comes in shades like pink, yellow, green and dark red.

Manley’s personal favorite is the cupcake-scented candle, which really does smell better than anything you could buy at a bakery.

However, Pulido pointed out that candles or any open flames are not allowed in the University dorm rooms.

Even still, broke college students can afford one of the most-requested soaps, E. Barrett’s French milled. Prices range from $1.75 to $5.75 and come in varieties such as lavender, wild rose and verbena.

In addition, Manley’s soap creations are all natural and contain special herbs and essential oils, which come directly from the fruit or flower. Each product fulfills a special need, whether it be lathering or moisturizing.

Additionally, other decorative pieces include candle spiral tealight holders ($12 for the small-sized), fizzling bath oil balls ($7.95) and the popular tealight lanterns ($9), which also come in shades like blue, green, pink and clear.

Although she hasn’t advertised yet, the new business owner has been doing very well with The Candle, Linen & Soap Factory.

“In fact, several customers come in several times a week,” Manley said.

She already hired a part-time employee because of the large number of regulars.

Manley partly attributes her success to people’s changing needs. Decorating is a way to help slow down your fast-paced life, she said.

“What better way to relax than to light some candles and have nice-smelling things in the house?”

For more information call (909) 392-4909 or visit The Candle, Linen & Soap Factory on 2310 D St. It is opened Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.