Getting your car washed — especially this snowy, icy winter — is one of those drudgerous suburban chores. It’s no day at the beach.
Except for one alert “06880” reader, who was waiting for her car at Norwalk’s Splash, near Stew Leonard’s.
Gazing at the random goods for sale — who buys this stuff at a car wash, anyway? — she spotted candles.
The sign called them “Coastal Candles.”
Looking more closely, she saw names: Compo Beach. Old Mill Beach. And of course, each candle said “Westport, CT 06880.”
Here’s a closeup:
Each candle — “100% Soy, Small Batch, Hand Poured” — contains sand direct from (supposedly) one of our beaches. They cost $24 each.
Which raises a couple of questions:
- Why does a car wash in Norwalk sell Westport beach candles? Calf Pasture is great, and it’s right there in town.
- Can anyone take sand from a beach, hand pour it into a candle, and sell it for a handsome profit?
Let’s hope this product doesn’t get too popular. Or else Compo and Old Mill will end up like Burying Hill — a beach that vanished even without candles.
This is 2018. Candle users need to be warned: Keep out of reach of children and pets. And never burn it on or near anything that can catch fire!
From what I can figure out from their website, the company is in Australia…so how did they get sand from Westport? Maybe someone should call the car wash and ask them 🙂
spoke too soon…I see a Coastal Candles located in Wells Maine, and another one in Melbourne Florida, one in Virginia Beach Va. Guess there are lots of companies with the same name 🙂
Thanks for noticing the candles at the car wash! As an 06880 resident since 2001, and a working mother of two, this small hobby has been a way to show my two middle school children the value of creativity, perseverance, hard work, paying taxes, etc. No need to worry about the sand…we may have used about as much as a family brings home in a summer in their shoes and car mats!
But you should state the “manufacturer’s” contact information on the label.
how do i order by mail ?
we need some Old Mill sand out here on Whidbey Island, Wa.
Hi Buell: Thanks for your note! Please send me an email separately to kirstenlhorton@gmail.com. If you’d like a special order (certain color, etc.) I can mail it out to you.
Hi Kirsten, do you mail to Canada?
Hi Nancy – please send me a note to kirstenlhorton@gmail.com and we’ll figure out what could work.
Thank you, I will. These candles would be very special at Staples class reunions… though your kids would have to enlist their friends to produce so many!
You should be selling these at the remarkable gift shop at the Historical Society! What a great idea! Give them a call or stop down there! They do consignment and are always looking for “Westport” specific items.
Interesting/unrelated TIP–
When you first light a new candle, be prepared to let it sit and have a nice
“Full Burn” out to the edge or as far as it will go… your first burn determines every burn that follows.. so, a quick 30 min burn produces a small circle in the wax that upon second lighting will burn straight down and not be the best use of the Wax or candle. A great candle will burn first out to edge and then straight down.
Additionally, I think the Splash owners have fabulous selection of (things I might actually Buy!!) GREAT card selection, SCOUT bags, hair Ties..
so, maybe they are trying to Buy Cool stuff and perhaps LOCAL. If that’s true– hooray for them. I spent about 15 dollars on (xxxstuff) yesterday!
Betsy Kahn, you just made my day! I never knew this about lighting a new candle and letting it burn. I’m sure I’ve had a LOT of candles with a 1″ indent of wax that never performed well. One is never too old to learn something new. Thanks a milion!
Be careful to place your coastal candle on a coaster to protect your coastly tabletops. Maybe Coastal Candles should sell “Coastal Coasters” with a coastal candle as part of a bundled, coast-effective solution. Don’t coast on being a one-hit wonder. Feel the burn!!!! A fool and his money are soon parted.
The Candles look great, Very creative and a nice touch for any gift. I like the fact that this is done by a mother of 2 trying to teach her kids the value of hard work and creativity. I hope the candles are enjoyed by many!
Very creative and a wonderful gift for friends that are moving or have moved from the area! Are they scented? Do you have a website? And thanks for the candle burning tips! Who knew?!
Hi Audrey, thanks for your note! I don’t have a website. To answer your question, the candles are scented, but I make unscented versions also. If you’d like to learn more, please email me directly at kirstenlhorton@gmail.com. Have a great day!
In Hawaii, it is against the law to take anything from the beaches: sand, coral, shells, etc. The Hawaiian people recognize that nature must be valued, conserved and respected.
Not a good idea…the more successful, the more sand taken…if one person can do it for one business, others can do it for theirs.
Personally, I’m thinking about selling small bags of a sandy loam potting soil. I’m going to take sand from Compo and soil from the Barron’s along the Post Rd…
I’m going to call it “Westport Compost”.
Dale Nordling: It’s illegal to take sand, coral, shells, etc for Resale since Hawaii enacted 2013 Hawaii Revised Statutes: TITLE 13. PLANNING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
Exception 5 still allows Tourists to bring home Momentos: (5) The taking of driftwood, shells, beach glass, glass floats, or seaweed.
Personally I respect Pele enough to not bring home any Lava Rocks!
Thanks for the clarification RB. It is always wise to respect the Goddess! 🙂