Holly is new home to the Great Lakes Artisan Village
HOLLY -- When Holly Jablonski came home with a van full of candles she worried about what her husband might think. "I was kind of bullied by my mom to bring the candle supplies here," she said. Her husband Dan's reaction? "I was kind of like 'that's pretty cool I just don't want anything to do with it right now 'cause it's not my thing'." But it became his thing. In part, because Holly's mother was dying of cancer and wanted her to take up the hobby. When he saw the final product, he really warmed up. "I sorta said...these are really nice you might have something here, Holly."
What better place for Holly's candle store, than right here in Holly? It's dedicated to her mother's memory, and to the cause of curing cancer. The candles look like regular wax being melted down, but actually they are made of soy. Unlike paraffin wax, which is oil-based, soy does not give off black smoke when burned. The other reason? Dan says soy is American grown while paraffin often comes from other counties.
Holly does the melting down of the candles and adds the fragrance. "I choose the high quality fragrance oils because I want them to be as true to what you're expecting as possible," Holly says. There are traditional burning candles, and non-burning candles that melt and give off the same fragrance as the burning candles do. Soon they will also have a line of essential oil based candles as well.
Candles aren't the only thing you can find here at the Great Lakes Artisan Village, of which the Holly Candle Shoppe is a part. Everything here is made in Michigan, from statues to food products to paintings from Michigan artists. There are even mix products from Coutry Home Creations in Flint, featured in a past "Made in Michigan" segment. There are Michigan authors featured here, and even Michigan sports parephenalia and a Christmas room of all Michigan-made Christmas decorations.
From candles to curios, Made in Michigan, it's all here in Holly.
