Meet Gerry From Kootenay Candles!

Posted on May 27, 2021 by laureen barker

🐝 Meet Gerry! Local Candle Maker of Kootenay Candles!

                    

✨Gerry has been supplying us with her beautiful, hand-made, beeswax candles for countless years. In celebration of Bee Month, our pollinator awareness month, we thought we would conduct a little interview with Gerry!

                   

Gaia: So, tell us a little bit about YOU! Tell us about your background, experiences, other artistic endeavors you might have...

Gerry: I grew up & graduated in Creston. I moved away for about 15 years and moved Back in 1993 raised to raise my kids. I bought Kootenay Candles in 2010. Some of my favourite activities are camping, fishing, hunting, quading, quilting, card making, horseback riding and gardening.

Gaia: What prompted you to start making candles?

Gerry: I dabbled in making candles when my kids were young, but it was just for fun! My youngest opened a business here in Creston & he needed a candle supplier. He said “Mom, Kootenay Candles is for sale, you should buy it!" So I did! That was 2010 and it seems like yesterday.....

Gaia: Why is it important to you that you use beeswax for your candle making? Have you tried other waxes in making your candles & what was the result?

Gerry: I work with a lot of different types of wax. Each wax has its own special traits, but my favorite is beeswax because it is so simple. It’s a traditional wax, it has it’s own great honey smell, it is hypoallergenic, clean burning, longer lasting and has a brighter flame. But most of all for me, it’s 100% natural.

Gaia: Can you explain what “blooming” is?

                     

*Notice the clear wax on the left side & cloudy wax on the right.

Gerry: Well “Bloom” is a good thing, it tells you that your candle is 100% beeswax. It is simply a crystal like substance that appears on the candle over time. Nothing is wrong with your candle! It adds a unique look to your candle that some people really like. If you are the type who doesn’t like the bloom, simply buff your candle with a soft cloth and it will shine like a new penny! Or if your candle has nooks and crannies, use a quick pass over with a warm blow dryer.

Gaia: What is your favourite part about candle making?

Gerry: For me it’s the art of taking something Mother Nature has given us and using it to create something else that is still in its' natural form. I have really added nothing but a wick to my candles and a new form for it to be enjoyed & appreciated in.

                 

Gaia: What is the most challenging part of candle making? 

Gerry: I guess it’s the ones that don’t turn out.. although I recycle them back into the mix, it’s a lot of work and if the temperature fluctuates or something comes out of a mold poorly, then all that time and energy was spent for nothing. 

Gaia: How do you support our population of pollinators?

Gerry: I plant flowers & support local honey farms.

Gaia: What would be in your bag at Gaia Rising?

Gerry: Oh my gosh...... one of those big beautiful wind chimes!! 

              

Make sure you stop by Gaia to see our large variety of Gerry's beautiful candles!

Check us out on Instagram @gaia_rising_metaphysical ✨

 

 

 

 

 

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