To start his family business, D.V. McWillis spent thousands of hours burning candles, though he never burned them at both ends.
McWillis created Salt City Candle because as a wholesale florist he had repeatedly been disappointed by scented candles."They smell great in the jar, but you couldn't smell them when you lit them," he said.
So McWillis began experimenting with 350 different wicks and several types of wax to find the perfect combination. He was looking for a candle that didn't smoke too much, kept its brilliant color and - most of all - dispersed a powerful scent when lit.
After 3 1/2 years of studying chemistry and experimenting, McWillis, who had never before been in the candle trade, developed what he considers to be the perfect scented candle.
Now he and his wife, Renee, produce thousands of candles at a warehouse in Sandy. Although he's president of the company, McWillis does just about everything at the plant from setting prices to pouring wax to placing labels. He said he often puts in 14-hour days.
There is no sign over the door, but you can find Salt City Candle by following your nose. The building full of stacked boxes and colored candles smells of a potpourri of 50 different candle scents, including cinnamon, vanilla, watermelon, mulberry, pomegranate, banana-nut bread, sugar cookie and Christmas Splendor.
People tend to prefer the sweet scents like banana-nut bread and sugar cookie over floral scents, McWillis said. Since a scented candle can completely change the atmosphere of a room, some of his biggest customers are realtors who use the scented candles to make a house feel more like a home.
Salt City Candles' products are sold retail, wholesale, at home candle parties and at trade shows. Next year the company will open franchises in Ogden; Las Vegas; Billings, Mont.; and Phoenix.
Salt City Candles will be one of the exhibitors at the Deseret News Home Show, which began Friday and runs through Sunday at the Salt Palace. The show is open Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. Admission is $4 for adults (13 and over) and $2 for children 7 to 12. Children under 6 can get in free.