Meet Richard and Nancy Best | Candle makers, animal lovers and first and foremost mom and dad

We had the good fortune of connecting with Richard and Nancy Best and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Richard and Nancy, how did you come up with the idea for your business?
The idea for our business just sort of formulated over time. When COVID hit my husband had just been laid off due to the Oil business down turn. As COVID continued, I was furloughed. So our business idea started as something to do during our time waiting for COVID to pass. We have a home full of vintage glass and pottery, as I’ve been a collector and lover of all things vintage for years. One day we were looking at a piece of depression glass and thought, “wow this would make a really cool candle” . So we decided to try pouring candles into our vintage pieces. Our first try at candle pouring didn’t turn out so well, there is actually more to it than we thought. After much trial and error we finally perfected our candles and we loved how they turned out. Around July 2020 I was told the company I was furloughed from was closing down. Now we were both out or work, we knew we needed to start bringing money in to cover our bills. As we were brainstorming, the idea of selling these vintage candles started to emerge, If we liked them so much, maybe others would. We decided that this was the best time to just jump in and give it all we had to try to make this a success. Everyone loves candles, and I love that we are taking these beautiful old vessels and reintroducing them in a fashion that people can relate to. Most everyone has a vintage piece they were handed down by a relative, and usually these are stuck away in a cabinet because they just don’t fit in our modern life. Pour a candle in them and suddenly they become valid again and they are such a great way to remember a loved one. It makes us so happy when a customer comes up and picks up one of our candles and tells us, with a smile on their face, that their grandmother used to have one of these. We are very passionate about sharing the most incredible reminders of our past and lovingly repurposing them into amazing candles. We love taking these beautiful, unique vintage pieces and giving them a reinvented life as a gorgeous, modern, one of a kind candle. We are very proud that each of our vessels are hand picked by us, they are hand-poured in our home using all natural soy wax. They are phtalate free and we use quality essential oils for a clean burning candle you can feel good about.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
One thing that I think sets us apart from others, is that we go searching all over and personally pick out each and every vessel and container we use. We take great time and effort to find unique and interesting containers. We get personally invested in each one of our candles, and take great pride in their individuality and their history. Preserving the history of these beautiful pieces makes us so happy, reusing them and introducing them to another generation to appreciate is very important to us. Richard’s background is in technical sales, so his forte is definitely sales, but also the business side of the company, He takes care of getting the website going, keeping track of inventory and all business expenses. My background is in Interior Design and Merchandising. So I am in charge of taking the pictures of our candles to post on social media and our website. Running all our social media, which has definitely been a challenge for me. Try to maneuver the do’s and don’ts of posting, and really just picking the content that has relevance to our audience. I’m still learning and figuring that out as we go. Our main focus, right now, is trying to figure out how to reach a larger audience for our product. Probably the main thing we would like people to know about our business and our brand, is that we put our heart and soul into our business and our product. We started this out of necessity, when we were both laid off during COVID, to try to help pay our bills, and it has turned out to be the best thing that could have happened to us. We are working so very hard to make this a success.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
With Houston being such a wonderfully diverse and large city that is a very hard question to answer. There is literally tons of things to do here in our great city. Off the top of my head, if the weather is nice head out to Discovery Green, it’s just such a beautiful urban green space in the heart of Houston. Depending on when you are there, you can see a concert, watch a movie, see a new art installation, there is always something going on there. Stop in at The Grove for a bite to eat, an elegant two-story bar and restaurant with a great patio. Another Fun day could be spent stopping in at The Dunlavy, a beautiful brunch spot for a cool drink and light meal It is by the bayou and the views are amazing, not to mention the quaint chandelier filled interior. Afterwards take a cold drink and walk through Smither Park, a really cool outdoor mosaic gallery. Drive by the Beer Can house, because it’s a beer can house, literally covered in beer cans, you just have to see it. Stop by Axelrad Beer Garden it’s a great outdoor bar to end the day. For a more upscale day head out to one of Houston’s many shopping centers, River Oaks Shopping Center, Uptown Park, Highland Village, whatever you a looking for it is there. Just want to relax, get a day pass and spend the day at the Marriot Marquis in Downtown sipping a cool drink while floating the lazy river and enjoy the view. There’s just so much to do here!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First we absolutely could not be where we are without the incredible support we have received from our extended families. They have rallied around us and have been so much a part of our success from the start. They have literally been walking advertisements for our candles and have helped get our name out to a larger audience. Our hearts are so full of gratitude for all their love and support. Secondly, we have to give a huge shoutout to our Coles Crossing neighbors. Coles Crossing has embraced our candles and has been such a huge part of our continued success. Our Coles neighbors are regular customers and are endlessly telling our story to others. We couldn’t love our neighborhood more. We would not be where we are today without all these wonderful people!

Website: www.nandrvintagecandles.com

Instagram: nandrcandles

Facebook: nandrvintagecandles