I’m Christy Mara, the blogger for black & light®. Writing about black & light ® candle company is no small task, simply because there are so many positive things to write about!
As I sit here in the quiet hours of the morning, one of black & light’s ® soft and glowing candles flickers gently next to me on my nightstand. It’s the staple of my morning routine. Wake up, make coffee, and light a candle.
I’m writing this blog because I have an extraordinary story to tell about Holly Eve, CEO and owner of black & light®, and her venture into not just the business world, but the world of sharing her light and love to others through her artistry on the ethereal, glowing candles of Bill Stewart. To say that her journey thus far has been nothing short of incredible would not do it justice she, her family, her employees, and Bill, the creator of these candles, took a journey this past year that is remarkable and awe-inspiring.
The story begins with a man, his children, a science project, and a kitchen table thirty years ago! What started out as a modest venture to help his kids with a school assignment, slowly grew into a thriving and popular business in Northern Michigan. Bill Stewart initiated this project with his four children. It began with some ice and a milk carton and yes, the kitchen table.
We’re supposed to make a candle? Bill said, looking a tad incredulous.
First there were four kid gathered around the table. Then there were three, then two, then one, and finally there was just Bill, who at that point, moved his project into the barn.
One thing lead to another thing, which led to another, and then led to a move from his place amidst the fens and swamps of the Saginaw river valley to a place in Charlevoix, Michigan where Bill perfected the ‘project’. It became a business, named after a fellow living creature who’d inhabited the wetlands near that barn; Bullfrog Light Co.
For thirty years Bill sought to get as many people as possible to ‘experience the glow’ of his unique candle company. The school psychologist became the world’s most unique candle maker.
Holly burnt Bill’s candles for over fifteen years. Then one morning, it happened, one of those life altering events. Holly received the gift of an ‘inspiration’, not one of those silly little ones that come in and out of your brain all the time, but a real one, almost like a ‘visit’. While that ‘inspiration’ will probably remain a ’secret’ similar to the one that governs Bill’s glow, Holly wasted little time in acting on it.
First, Holly had to meet Bill. With a phone call here, an investigation there, in late March of 2007, they met to discuss what her thoughts on what to do with this inspiration and what it had to do with his ‘magic’. Meetings came and went, and after a very short period of time, and for the first time ever, Bill made the decision to ’share the glow’ with a wider audience.
Holly made the decision to leave a safe and steady career of a quarter century, teaching as an elementary teacher at a rural school system where a class of twenty five was considered big, several years early.
School psychologist left school to become candle maker. Thirty years later school teacher left school to design and help sell the candle maker’s magic.
black & light ®
was born.
The ’secret’ to Bill’s candles I will never know. But the magic of these candles I, and now so many others, are fully aware of. I see it every morning when I light my candle. The magic of these candles is not just their beautiful artistr y, which, to say the very least, is elegant and inspiring. However, what makes Bill’s candles so special is that they do, quite literally, glow from top to bottom, from every angle of the candle. They have the ability to light up a room. I’ve gotten in the habit of not turning on the lights in my apartment when I light my black & light ® candle. The candle is enough to provide me with the light, the glow, and the guidance to start my day.
I personally guarantee it.
Over the past year, Holly Eve and her company of candle comrades have worked non-stop to expand Bill’s magical vision and ’share the glow’ with more of the world. Holly’s inspiration developed into a beautiful product, with stunning, environmentally aware packaging, and a world-class team of employees who are nothing short of brilliant in their endeavors to help Holly’s dream evolve into reality.
They do, quite simply, ‘whatever it takes.’
I’ve had the opportunity to watch and experience this process grow, like few, if any other businesses. Now, finally I contribute to the effort of black & light ® with this blog. The drive I witnessed and the people I met working for and with this company are not just ‘blog’ worthy, they are worthy of all of the success waiting for them in the world, for their pure and honest efforts. black & light ® has assembled a team of people from all walks of life, and I can’t wait to share their adventures with you.
I think about them, about Bill Stewart, and about Holly Eve, every time I light a black & light ® candle. What they have done is not just create a successful business with infinite potential, they have created an inspiring story that must be shared. I will be ‘blogging’ about Holly Eve, her partners in business, and the employees at black & light ®, so please look for more about these creative geniuses and Bill’s enchanting product in the coming weeks.
Until then, may peace, love, and the ‘glow’ be with you!
Christy Mara