Rustic Charm candles expands nationwide

Rustic Charm candles have gone nationwide into 88 Cavender’s Western Wear stores. Owner, Stephanie (Wylie) Asher has been pleasantly overwhelmed and delighted at the recent turn of events.

Her oldest son, Cason Asher, a recent graduate of Texas State University, and his friend Jack Graves, who is also employed as the Rustic Charm wholesale manager, were at a trade show in Atlanta, Ga. They were busy packing up the contents of the Rustic Charm Candles booth, when they were approached by a representative from the Cavender Western Wear stores. The Cavender stores have a ‘Home Goods’ section in most of their stores and that is where the local candles can be found. That brief encounter led to the expansion of the locally owned Rustic Charm Candles.

Asher explained that Rustic Charm Candles was already being distributed through their wholesale online business into 150 small stores in 34 states. Those businesses include many small, one-owner gift shops, mom and pop stores or drug stores, etc. Another local gal, Katherine Parker, handles all the marketing and social media for the business.

Asher has an accounting degree from Tarleton State University and still keeps her hand on the books, but has been forced to move her office to her house since there is no longer any room at the store. Every nook and cranny has boxes, candle jars, the rack of more than 150 bottles of scents used to make the different scented candles and two racks of labels. Additionally, there are three large vats to melt the wax and blend in the different scents from their large assortment of bottles.

Asher said, “I have been experimenting with different blends and scents for my candles since 2004. First, in my kitchen, and then it spread to the garage.” She opened the Rustic Charm Trading Store in 2011, with her candles on display as a side hobby, more or less. Her father, Steve Asher, handles that part of the business, which has been relegated to the eastern part of the property and is probably phasing out since no-one has time to go and find new items.

Her son Cason helped get her website established in 2013 and by 2018, the wholesale business online was spread into 34 states. About that time, her husband, Sonny Asher, joined the business helping where he was needed.

The branding of her product and business logo, a Red Barn, is prominently displayed on all the candle boxes that leave her business, wrapped in a red, western bandana.

Since the expansion to a wholesale business online in 2018, the back part of the Rustic Charm Trading Store has been converted to an organized assembly line of activity. Asher said, “I now have three large wax melters and have 20 basic blends we call our ‘Classics.’ Then we have another 20 seasonal blends, such as for Christmas and the winter months. In addition, we probably have another 100 to 150 blends or scents in our inventory.”

Her employees and family have helped her come up with some snappy names for the candle blends, such as the ‘Purple Cow,’ which is a blend of cinnamon and mulberry and a Purple Cow is prominently displayed in front of her store. Then, there is the ever-popular, ‘Hello Darlin,’ which is a blend of lavender, vanilla and a new leather scent that Asher has to order from another distributor, who has developed that scent.

Asher gets a regular UPS delivery of candle bottles and boxes and is a regular stop for the UPS driver to ship out new orders. Additionally, Asher has two racks of labels for all the different scents and blends found in a particular candle jar.

When asked how the Pandemic has affected her business, Asher said, “I had one particular near-panic when we became very low on wicks and candle jars, but they came in just in time for the current demands. So, panic averted.” Asher pointed out, “Another problem was never knowing how long it would take to get specific items delivered, such as the wicks, and I found I added more inventory than I actually needed at the time, but I had to operate on the assumption that I couldn’t guarantee when or how quickly I could get specific items delivered. Some items took two or three months, due to the Pandemic, where usually it would be a few days or a week, at the most. As a result, I have a stockpile of required items on hand. Better prepared than sorry when I have to fill an order.”

Currently, Asher has eight employees, who are all skilled at the different stages of the candle-making process. According to Asher, Misty Hash is the employee who keeps an eagle eye on candles that are layered with different blends. Other employees include Shawneen Tishler, Donna Gillespie and when needed, both her parents, Steve and Shirley Wylie and husband, Sonny Asher. Her brother, Parker Wylie, who owns Kel-Abby, says she stole Sonny away from him. Sonny had worked in Parker’s business for a number of years.

Asher’s mother, Shirley Wylie, runs the Albany store that was opened in July of 2020. Shirley is a retired nurse. Also, Asher can always draft her youngest son, Bryce Asher, who is a junior at Albany High School. However, he has developed his own hat business, which he started when he was 16 and is just now turning 18.

The only member of the Asher family not employed by the business, at this point, is daughter, Addison Asher, who is a sophomore journalism major at Texas A&M.

Asher said, “I have already been considering needing a larger building and have been discussing our options to move in that direction.”

On a personal note. It is always fun to see former students succeed in interesting endeavors and I had all of these kids mentioned, but one, in my classes many years ago. Best of luck on the new adventure.