Summer means road trips!

And, well. . . .  you have to take bathroom breaks somewhere!

Besides offering the cleanest bathrooms on Indiana’s Interstate 70, Warm Glow Candles invites you to discover the scents of Peony, Toffee Cream, Frankincense & Myrrh. Cranberry Stardust makes the holidays festive, or you can conjure up the fall season, complete with fallen leaves and bonfires, with Autumn Evening.

When you are visiting Warm Glow, don’t even think about leaving your pet in your car! In addition to being able to visit the usual pet relief areas, typical of many roadside stops, the furry members of your family are welcomed inside the candle shop, with a sign mounted near the front door, insisting that travelers bring dogs inside.

There’s no question that this encourages a longer than average visit. Of course this means more shopping time, and therefore a higher bottom line for the company! However, the invitation comes from a heartfelt place, and shows a warm spot in the owners’ hearts for pets, especially those who get to come along on family vacations!

Inside, there is a large selection of pet gifts, treats, décor and trinkets for your furry friends. Dog toys, dog outfits, dog leashes, dog beds and dog signs are plentiful; I don’t remember seeing any “Beware of Dog” designs! The felines aren’t left out, so you’ll find small pillows filled with catnip, made by a local artesian. My girls, ButterCup and ButterBean, who don’t often get catnip, go crazy for these! I’ve had to replace the toys more than once, because they won’t stop chewing, licking, hugging and frolicking with them. Bizarre behavior, I know, but that’s what catnip brings out in them!

So, dog treats and catnip toys at a candle store . . .?

Warm Glow began as a candle business, but is now much more, including a shop for Christmas decorations, a floral design studio, a lunch counter, and a wine, fine chocolate and gourmet food distributor. There is an entirely separate building devoted to garden items, including fairy gardens! Have you discovered a fairy garden yourself? (see link below)

Accessories for fairy doors, fairy houses and fairy gardens have exploded into a thriving retail industry all its own – it’s like having an outdoor doll house. The tiny gardens are fun to search for, and you might get lucky and invite a fairy visitor into yours!

At Warm Glow, there is an enormous interest in all things related to the garden! The small corner of the main shop that garden items used to take up has now broken off and fills a 2nd building. Surrounding that building, on the patio and sidewalks, are larger outdoor items, including lawn ornaments, fountains, and large planters. It’s a gardener’s delight to wander through all the fun new items!

Did I already mention the bathrooms?

This candle store, now transformed into a mega gift shop, is one of two stops I make, on my reoccurring trips from my hometown of Columbus, OH to my childhood home in Brookfield, IL. It sits right off the highway, in Centerville, IN. It is visible from the highway – you can’t miss the giant candle– and is well advertised at highway rest stops and on a series of billboards that start several miles away.

Among other things, like the wine and the chocolate, I stop to use the clean bathrooms! Warm Glow has actually installed a billboard advertising the “Cleanest Bathrooms on I-70”! To live up to that, the bathrooms are extensively decorated in country décor, the walls are covered with artwork, while floral arrangements decorate the entrance, and visitors can choose from at least a dozen scented lotions.

No purchase necessary! But I say “Good Luck!”, if you think you’ll get out of there without spending a little something, on a cute piece of costume jewelry, a seasoning for your fondue pot, a chocolate & caramel covered pretzel, or a bottle of cherry wine.

Don’t fret, the store does sell candles, lots of candles, as does their newly redesigned website. Recent years have brought an expansion to additional retail locations, including “Coast to Coast Nautical Home Décor”, “Primitive Country Home”, “Burnham’s Bloomers”, “Cape Cod Country Gifts”, and “Bittersweet & Ivy”. The signature product can be found in more than 50 locations to the East, including gift, floral and specialty shops in NJ, PA, NY, CT, RI and MA

The Mini Hearth Trio of Coffee candles is, quite sadly, out of stock, as of this writing. Those who know me well also know what a special place coffee has in my heart!

100% of the candles are hand dipped in Indiana, and the company advertises their product as the “Hand Crafted Lumpy Bumpy Candles.” The June “Candle of the Month” was Mediterranean Waters, tinted a cooling blue, and representative of the summer season. Online, you’ll find discounts on scent chips, hearth candles, 3-packs of votive candles, oversized votive candles & atomizer oils. The Holiday collection is available all year long, on the website and in store.

Warm Glow was started in the basement home of Midwesterners Alan and Jackie Carberry, back in 1994. This was 2 years before I started making the commute from Chicago to Columbus, OH for graduate school. I have no real memories of the drive out of Chicago, south down I-65, around Indianapolis, and along I-70, into Ohio, without a stop at Warm Glow.

With production facilities housed in an 80,000 Sq. Ft. site, with the capacity of producing up to 15,000 candles per day, the company is regularly launching new fragrances, to keep up with, and influence, the industry trends and whims of candle buyers. The retail store supports candle use by offering candle accessories, including glass and tin plates, decorative candle holders, plug-ins and wax warmers.

Now, I’ve had a cat lose inches of fur off of her beautiful tail, after sauntering by and dipping her tail into the hot wax of a Scentsy burner. We spent some time delicately snipping away at her tail, with a pair of scissors, to remove the wax. So, I’m intrigued by the Cinnamon No-Melt Fragrance Tarts, sold online for just $4.95. They look a bit like giant cherry cough drops, and give off fragrance without melting, the way conventional wax does.

Since the company’s beginning, Warm Glow’s goal was to create their vision of a perfect candle. After months of working with several combinations, they finally accomplished their goal and succeeded in creating a fragrant, long lasting, clean burning, and (relatively) inexpensive candle. They had a candle they were proud to give the name, “Warm Glow.”

“We realize there are a lot of candle and fragrance choices in the marketplace today. We are always grateful for (and humbled by) our customers’ patronage.” (Warm Glow website)

I encourage you to check it out, even if your intention is simply to find a less offensive bathroom stop than the one in the gas station across the street!

Feel the warmth!

Join me on my next adventure,

~ Kat

Related Links:

Warm Glow Candle Company: https://warmglow.com/

Fall Festival Exhibitor Space: https://warmglow.com/product/fall-festival-exhibitor-space/

DailyMail.com – Male vs. Female Bathroom Hygiene: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3273480/How-men-women-compare-hygiene-habits-results-SHOCK-you.html

Fairy Gardens: https://www.myfairygardens.com/?gclid=CjwKCAjw2NvLBRAjEiwAF98GMRJEXUdd8QfKov5aXzWWO6Dt4XGEZT12W6rOjH6GSZ4FElKq2DHsnxoCvi0QAvD_BwE