Lighting Her Way Forward
The Wick and Burn Candle Bar is owner’s happy place
By Tonya Warren | Photos courtesy of Wick and Burn
Denise Tilmon was never a typical kid who would lounge around burning time while life moved on around her. An Austin native and Killeen resident since 2006, Tilmon was encouraged by her parents to explore anything of interest.
“My parents always nurtured my environment,” she said. “I took piano lessons, learned to crochet, wrote poetry and built clubhouses out of old wood I found around our neighborhood.”
Growing up with a single parent mother, she saw how hard life can be when it’s tight financially, but she said they enjoyed life and had a home full of love. Her father had job success and home ownership, and Tilmon credits both parents for instilling motivation within her.
With degrees in human resources management and health care administration, Tilmon is currently enjoying her career as an adoption social worker with the Texas Department of Family & Protective Services. She has boots-on-the-ground training as the proud mother of two adult daughters and three adopted active teenage boys. Her business acumen and ability to work with the public came in handy when she opened The Wick and Burn Candle Bar in Temple last February.
Looking to process grief after her mother died from pancreatic cancer in 2019, Tilmon reignited her passion for handiwork. “Crafting became therapy for me. It took my mind away from the grief and gave me a purpose I didn’t know I had.”
Interestingly, the World Health Organization promotes art as a way of helping people “navigate the journey of battling an illness or injury and to process difficult emotions in times of emergency and challenging events.” Tilmon began crafting wood décor items and creating abstract paintings, as well as custom beverage tumblers and T-shirts. Success came, as she sold to friends, family and farmers markets.
Channeling her grief into something creative helped Tilmon through her loss.
Wanting to scale down the prep work, and scale up item sales, she decided to open a candle bar offering candle parties. Candle supplies are easily transportable, which allows Tilmon to conduct off-site parties for reunions, team building events and more. She loves mobile parties as people are often more comfortable in their own environment.
Last year, the savvy entrepreneur decided to find her own affordable spot to allow customers to come enjoy creating candles. Homemade items such as linen sprays, cement vessels, bath salts and soaps are also sold in the shop. Reservations are highly recommended for the candle pouring classes, which hold 10-15 guests and are offered two to four times daily. A candle host guides class participants through choosing a fragrance and vessel, blending their custom scent into creamy apricot coconut wax, wicking the vessel and more, until the candle is ready to set. Candles can be decorated with flowers or stones. Pouring classes can take up to 30 minutes then the candle sets for 30 minutes.
Due to fibromyalgia, Tilmon says she can’t burn the candle at both ends and credits her husband, Jermaine, whom she describes as her “best friend” to help run the household. She said he readily shuttles kids to activities and helps her with the business. Her youngest daughter works at the shop daily, while Tilmon works her full-time job. She finds crafting very relaxing and business ownership has intrinsic rewards.
“Owning your own business is having freedom to do what you want and love without all the politics and power struggles,” she said. “This business is simply my happy place, and I want it to be a place of escape for others.”
IF YOU GO
Address: 8 E. Avenue A, Temple
Phone: 254-677-6687
Website: thewickandburn.com
Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday
