Waxman Candles, 609 Mass, has been in business 40 years making handmade candles for all occasions. Working in his studio, Bob Werts pours hot soy wax into molds.
It was during a Friday afternoon phone call in 1972 when Bob Werts — owner of Lawrence’s Waxman Candles — began thinking like a business owner.
The fellow on the other end of the line wanted to know if Werts could make candles that were shaped like a ball.
Well, at this point in time, Werts wasn’t known as an independent candlemaker extraordinaire. He mainly was known as a 23-year-old who had more time than money, and took up candlemaking as a way to kill one and make a little of the other.
His claim to fame — when he started the business about two years earlier — was that he would make a half-pound of candles for students, if they brought him a pound of wax.
You’ll have to figure out why KU students in the early 1970s needed so many candles, but Werts today says “it was kind of a hippie thing.”
Back on that Friday afternoon in 1972, with wax piling up around him, Werts figured he needed to turn this into more than just a hippie thing.
So, ball candles? Well, he had made a candle shaped like a ball before, so he decided to answer the fellow on the phone like a good businessman would.
“Oh yeah,” Werts said, “those are our specialty.”
Working in his studio, Bob Werts pours wax into molds. Waxman Candles, 609 Mass., has been in business 40 years making handmade candles for all occasions.
• • •
Werts indeed did become a businessman. As the national economy flickers like a votive in the breeze, Waxman is celebrating its 40th year in business, now with stores in Lawrence and Chicago. It has been four decades of business lessons, and when asked by the Journal-World, Werts agreed to share some of them.
“I think something that would surprise a lot of people is that I didn’t make any money for the first 10 years in the candle business,” Werts said. “I just made enough money to run the business. And now it is kind of back to that again.”
Business is off about 50 percent from the heyday of the 1990s. But here at Waxman, 609 Mass., Werts’ demeanor is still as smooth as the melting wax that warms in Styrofoam covered kettles in the back shop.
“Every business person has to understand that there are times when you make a living and there are times when you make money,” Werts said. “And then there are times when you just have to suck it up.”
This current recession certainly has been a time when even good businessmen have had to suck like a Hoover, but Will Katz — director of KU’s Small Business Development Center — said even during normal times business owners need to be prepared for a high level of sacrifice.
“I deal with a lot of people who have unrealistic expectations of success,” said Katz, who counsels potential business owners. “Bob’s story of going 10 years is not that uncommon at all. I tell people you had better figure out how to do what you love. If it feels like work, that’s not a very good sign.”
•••
The Friday afternoon caller was pleased to hear that he had found a ball candle specialist. He needed 120,000 of the candles.
Really? Yeah, really.
After a weekend of experimentation and extrapolation, Werts determined that he would have to charge 12.6 cents per candle to break even on this order.
So, when he made contact with the Friday afternoon caller, he told the fellow that he could do the order for — 12.6 cents per candle.
“The guy said ‘great, we’ll be up later this week to look at your facility,’” Werts recalled.
And that’s when Werts began acting like a small-business owner.
For you see, Werts’ “facility” was a central Lawrence garage that had a space for his cot in the corner and a stove with a small wax melting kettle.
So, Werts decided to do what a good businessman would do.
“I found a buddy who let me put my cot in his apartment,” Werts said, “and I went out and bought a bigger kettle.”
•••
Werts works about 60 hours a week in the winters and about 30 hours a week in the summers — candlemaking in the heat doesn’t work well. Now 61 years old, he notes that the winters seem to be a lot longer than the summers.
But 40 years into this, Werts still is a true candlemaker. Sure, he does all those business owner things — he does the books on Saturdays and sometimes Sundays — but he still spends time daily in the back shop with a sharp razor cleaning up the smallest of details on his designer candles.
He insists what has changed most over the last four decades is his eyesight. He now has two pairs of glasses — one for the main floor where he melts and mixes wax, and one for the basement where he does the even more precision-oriented work of making the rubber molds for the candles.
But, of course, there are other differences. In the 1990s, Werts’ business made 25 to 28 tons of candles per year. Now, business is at about 10 to 12 tons per year.
And this current recession is different from others that he has seen. It is “more complex, more global,” he says. But what it is not, is more stressful.
“This is a candle shop,” Werts says almost with a laugh. “I don’t carry much stress. Worrying is productive if it makes you do something, but worrying for the sake of worrying is no good at all.”
Werts refuses to be anything but positive. He’s convinced the recession will end.
“We’re resilient,” Werts said. “It will get better but it will get better in its own way. As soon as people get sick and tired of being sick and tired — and then put out enough energy to make it better — it will get better.”
Katz said such optimism is a hallmark of successful entrepreneurs.
“You’ll almost never meet a really successful entrepreneur who isn’t positive,” Katz said. “The fact of the matter is, you can talk yourself out of anything. To be an entrepreneur, you have to be positive enough to overcome things. When you see a roadblock, your natural instinct needs to be, ‘How can I get around this.’”
For Werts, all of this — even the prospect of failure — is what he signed up for.
“Failure is not a bad thing unless it devastates you to the point that you can’t get off the floor,” Werts said. “And, if that’s the case, it wasn’t a good risk to take.”
When a visitor to the shop chimes in that he thinks the fear of failure is what keeps many people from starting a small business, Werts answers quickly.
“Then it probably should,” Werts says. “The fear of failure is going to result in failure.”
•••
It was four months of Ping-Pong balls, golf tees and Dixie cups.
Werts assembled all those items to create a makeshift production facility to fulfill his new order of 120,000 ball candles.
After months of work, after the last candle was finished, Werts made exactly how much he thought he would off the job — not a thing. He broke even.
But then a few weeks later, Werts got a phone call from the same Friday afternoon fellow. This time he needed a large order of a different type of candle. He told Werts he could pay him 45 cents a candle. Werts said he could do it for 75 cents a candle.
That job took Werts 20 days to complete, and he made $10,000 in profit. He remembers going to Don’s Steakhouse for a $20 meal. He put the other $9,980 into a new shop.
Did Werts know that second call would come? Is that why he did the first job at a break even price? Not really. There was a more basic reason behind that.
“I thought,” Werts said, “if I could make 120,000 units of anything, I could say I was in the candle business, and I would have that feeling in my heart.”
And that’s when Bob Werts got paid like a business owner.
Comments
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misterlee (anonymous) says…
I've been a customer for almost all of the 40 years. My favorite candles were two owl candles I bought in about 1972. They're long gone but one of them is in an old photo. I wish Waxman would bring those two owls back to the inventory.
grammaddy (anonymous) says…
Congrats on 40 years of doing what you love!
collared_greens (anonymous) says…
Cool story, but the headline is such a groaner.
milehighhawk (anonymous) replies…
+1
fan4kufootball (anonymous) says…
Hey Bob - congrats! And thank you for being such a positive influence in Lawerence. I love your store :)
scott3460 (anonymous) says…
Another unique Lawrence original. Won't find that at the suburban Wal-Tar-Low-Depot mega store.
tange (anonymous) says…
Very nice window on a man, virtually every quote in the article, a gem.
gossipgirl785 (anonymous) says…
Great place to buy candles. I remember going there for a trip in grade school. I loved the smell in the store. Very nice family. I think we should try to help out our local business before we make a fast trip to the Wal store or any of those kinds of stores. The quality on its own could be the only reason but its not, the fragrance, colors and the one of a kind items. I have never went in the store and thought any thing was over priced and that's not to common these days. I am going to visit the store a little more than usual so I'm not stuck with buying candles at the discount stores. That's the thing we should all do, we can't complain about the shops downtown prices or having to close if we are not going to support them and force them to have to raise prices to be able to stay open or have to close the business.
scott3460 (anonymous) replies…
Good on you, gossipgirl. Great message more people should take to heart.
Is it really worth it to save the $0.15 if it means supporting slave labor in China or supporting right wing hate mongers?
RoeDapple (anonymous) replies…
This "right wing hate monger" has purchased candles for home and gifts since Waxman opened across the street from Central Junior High School.
RoeDapple (anonymous) replies…
And intend to go again soon in support of a great Lawrence business man.
Pywacket (anonymous) replies…
Haha! As a left-wing hate monger, I've never viewed you as a RWHM, Roe! Learn something every day....
RoeDapple (anonymous) replies…
Some things are best left unsaid!
;-)
rtwngr (anonymous) replies…
This right wing hate monger has also purchased many items from Waxman over the years. Bob and Deb Werts are terrific people and they could not care less about my political views. You should think before you express yourself.
overthemoon (anonymous) replies…
Agree with everything you say. But more on the quality. Waxman candles burn better than anything else you buy any where. When fragranced, the aroma is pure. I have been around those cookie jar candles that, when burning, make my eyes water with the overpowering and unpleasant stench. I make a waxman trip every year after Thanksgiving to buy scented candles to create that holiday feeling as well as to buy the larger white tapers and columns that will last me a year. Sometimes a shockingly expensive trip, but I if I can't afford it, I do without candles.
azores (anonymous) says…
This article implies that pretty much any business can weather an extended period of 50% drop in sales, but I wish they would have pointed out that we're talking about candles here. Candles are cheap to make, and when you turn around and sell a candle that costs $0.20 to $0.50 to make and sell it for $8-$12, well, on a profit margin like that, anybody can survive a 50% sales drop-off.
sourpuss (anonymous) replies…
Did it ever occur to you that American specialized labor is worth something? Werts is an artist, not a machine. If it takes him 30 minutes to make a candle, then he should sell it for $15-$20 because that is what his creative, expert time is worth. If you don't want to buy them then don't, but I can tell you something, if I knit a sweater, I'm not going to sell it for the price of the wool!
Pywacket (anonymous) replies…
Reeeeeeeeeaaaallly.....
You think it is that simple? Pray tell, when do you plan to retire from your sure-fire, high-profit-margin entrepreneurship? With such insight into self-employment, you are undoubtedly already rolling in clover. Tell us what you do, O Great Business Guru.
As a humble know-nothing, I suspect that a good deal of Werts' success comes from disciplined management---the kind so many of us (employees or self-employed) fail at. That is, I suspect that when his business was booming, he had the foresight to sock a lot of those profits aside to cover the lean times--something we should all do. Instead, most of us, if we have boom times, "reward" ourselves with fancy houses, cars, boats, cruises, etc., as if the profits have nowhere to go but up. This is the main reason so many businesses (and individuals) fail during lean times. Nothing to fall back on.
Cycles of profit and loss will always be part of the business scene. If an entrepreneur realizes that up front and is realistic enough to aside (in flexible investments) enough to carry the business for at least 6 months of diminished returns, he's got a much better chance of making it in the long run. Same with all of us as individuals---as tempting as it is to indulge ourselves after a period of overtime or other earning booms, we should (as any good economist will tell you) have enough set aside to carry us for at least 6 months, in case we unexpectedly lose earnings due to lay-off, injury, illness, etc. How many of us do this? Show of hands.... (I confess--we do not!)
Not doing so is like a tightrope walker navigating with no net. Most will never fall.... but if you're the one who does.... Not a pretty scene.
overthemoon (anonymous) replies…
Have you noticed the nice showroom? And the helpful staff? There is more to selling a candle than paying for the wax, fragrance oils and labels.
GardenMomma (anonymous) says…
He's not just covering the cost of material for the candles. He's covering the labor to make the candles, labor to run the store, maintain the store, and other costs associated with running a store. So, he's probably not making as much profit as you insinuate.
NoDramaMama (Mary Ellen Hall) says…
I owned my own business for 8 years before selling it and it's amazing to me how people assume because you own a business you're swimming in money. HA!! As the story mentioned, Bob (and most successful owners) works well over 40 hours/week, including weekends, and his life is virtually dedicated to the business. So when people like "azores" comment that "candles are cheap to make" and note the seemingly huge profit, I think they forget all the overhead that comes with producing and selling those candles. Rent in this town is ridiculous (I hope Bob owns his building!), there are taxes to pay, utilities and those employee costs ain't cheap. So to comment that with a large profit margin "anybody can survive" is a little naive. Successful business requires a profit margin like that and the restraint to save for the rainy days to be able to survive the drop-off! Congratulations, Bob!! :)
Solomon (anonymous) says…
I, too, owned two small businesses for about 9 years. I routinely worked 55 + hours per week. During the Christmas season it was more like 70 hours. I figure I worked the first week, or more, to cover the cost of goods. I worked another week to pay rent, utilities, advertising, and other incidental expenses. Then, I worked another week and a half to pay my employees and the taxes on payroll, workman's comp, income tax, etc. About 25-30 hours a month was worked for me.
When people talk about "small" business, it's always good to know what they're really talking about. A "small" manufacturing concern may be one that employs scores of people, while a "small" retail business may include the owner and just a few employees.
Don't ever assume a small business is doing much more than providing a job for the owner. It may be, but don't bet on it.
azores (anonymous) says…
Oh, I'm not trying to denigrate the subject of the story. I think it's a great story and I know that Bob is a great business man, and I've enjoyed purchasing at Waxman. I've owned my own $1.9m annual revenue business for the last 10 years, with employees, health insurance, warehousing, etc, so I am fully aware of all the overhead that comes with the package. But I'll boil down my point: The higher your profit margin, the more of a cushion you have to weather tough times. Everyone has overhead costs, but when you are selling $500,000 of a product that has a 25% gross profit margin, and the other guy is selling $500,000 of a product that has a 75% gross profit margin, assuming all expenses are the same, I don't think I'm going out on a limb, mathematics-wise, to say the latter owner is going to end up with more net profit at the end of the day. And when you make a lot of candles for $0.50 and sell them for $9/ea, you're making a lot of money, even after expenses.
bkreed1960 (anonymous) says…
Thanks to Bob, his family, and the wonderful employees. I've been going to Waxman's since I was in college. They're the best, way better than Yankees candles or anything that you can find anywhere else.
weegee (anonymous) says…
Not only is Waxman Candles a fantastic business, it's a part of downtown Lawrence. Bob is a smart businessman, but he is also a really great person. This is one of those places that I always recommend to friends who visit, and they always rave about it. Congrats, Bob!
frankfussman (anonymous) says…
I lived above Waxman at 14th and Mass back when the shop/store was there.
ShePrecedes (anonymous) says…
And I have some of his ball candles.
pagan_idolator (anonymous) says…
My store basically keeps me in cigarettes and one night a week of beer drinking. I love what I do though. Bob is a great guy. Whenever I am doing one of my fund raisers and need some donations from local business owners Bob always comes through with 3 or 4 nifty candles.
snappromotions (anonymous) says…
Congrats. Have been a customer for many years.