Swans Candles Supplies it All

is the perfect place to visit if you've ever thought about making your own candles. The family-owned business purchases essential products in bulk and sells them to a wide range of clients.

But it's not just candles Swans has in store. There are more than 300 different fragrances, shelves stacked with different soap bases and enough product in barrels to make an outhouse smell fresh.

There isn't one type of wax or fragrance Swans doesn't have.

"We're constantly getting new items to suit soap makers," said manager Renee Karchesy. "We're an old fashioned crafts supply shop with a wide variety of options.

Opened in 1974, Swans supply store operates out of a house. Karchesy and her boyfriend, Jimmy Weiler, are a close couple and handle most of the day-to-day duties around the 4,000-foot establishment.

They are one of the few candle making supply stores on the West Coast. Karchesy said they have so many novelty candles they had to organize them by category.

"This time of year we're getting ready for holiday gifts," Karchesy said.

There are almost too many items to focus on when first entering Swans, sort of like arriving at a yard sale.

The home-based business itself is harder to spot, tucked away in a residential neighborhood. A large swan statue is surrounded by old pond water and serves as a roundabout to the parking lot.

Similar to entering an apartment complex, customers must wait until buzzed in.

The shop's website says it caters to the smallest hobbyist as well as the largest candle manufacturer. And the staff will even help you get started.

Swans offers a free, basic candle making class at 11 a.m. on the first and second Saturday of each month. Classes are intended for candle makers who need help, or people who are new to candle making.

Among its many hand-made items, Swans also dabbles in encaustic painting, which involves using heated beeswax to which colored pigments are added. Swans provides the encaustic paints as well.

Who: Swans Candles

Where: 8933 Gravelly Lake Dr., Lakewood, Wash.

Contact: 253-584-4666

Hours: Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Closed Sunday. Swans will be closed on Thanksgiving, Nov. 26 and Christmas Day. The store is open mornings or evenings by appointment.