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Being a bit of a pyromaniac, I have always loved having candles accenting my home. As a child in Cincinnati, I loved to turn off everything electric in my room, light candles, and pretend I was living in a log cabin in rural Ohio a hundred years ago. Coincidentally it was at about that time that Amos Ives Root of Medina, Ohio founded his company that became a premier manufacturer of candles.
 A. I. Root himself was more than a simple business man; he was an inventor. He was friend to the Wright Brothers, publishing the first account of their flight. (The publication is now in the Smithsonian Institute, or you can read it at the Root candle site. When he first opened his doors it was to produce high-quality honey and products for bee-keeping, including Root’s own design for a better hive and harvesting techniques. In 1928 a local priest came to the Root family complaining of the quality of the candles available to his church and asking if they couldn’t help him. Five generations after their founding, the Root family is still producing its fine candles and proudly bills itself as the oldest candle company in the United States. They manufacture what are arguably some of the highest quality scented and unscented candles and – true to the tradition spawned by their local priest almost 80 years ago –liturgical candles. And yes, they are still in Medina, Ohio.
Root’s scented candles, referred to by the company as “the jewelry of the home”, are among my personal favorites. I had used their Queen Bee jar candles in my home; beautiful ribboned jars filled with highly scented (but not overpowering) waxes. Happy with the very high quality of the product and finding that they were favorites of many spa owners and massage therapists, I wanted to research Root further. My timing was apropos! Root just came out with a new line called LightStyles.
“With our new LightStyles candle line you not only enjoy our candles but find specific candles that fit your individual personality,” explained Stephanie Friedman, spokesperson for Root. “We think (your) readers will really enjoy them and even more important find them a really fun fashion accessory for their homes, or a great anytime gift.
 Lightstyles are cute gift boxes with nine different scented candles and a glass votive candleholder. They are each geared to one of six personality types: Classic, Spirited, Modernist, Romantic, Relaxed and Eclectic. Friedman explained that the Root web site and many of Root’s retailers offer a quiz to determine your personality. I went to the LightStyles site (www.rootlightstyle.com) and promptly took the quiz. It’s fun and it doesn’t take long. The results were that I answered two questions that placed me in the Modern category and six that placed me in the Spirited category. Going with an Eclectic selection, I received a lovely box of nine fragrant candles. (Suggested retail price $19.95.) We also brought home some additional scents to try.
There was a sort of ‘scent-fest’ in my home that evening. I lit a different candle in each room and my husband and I went from room to room enjoying the delicious aromas. My favorites have to be those scents that imitate fruits like Wild Blackberry, Mango, Apple Harvest, and Cranberry. The floral scents, including Gardenia and Green Tea and Rose smell fresh and floral, not ‘perfumey’. Scotch Pine has become a favorite and, as with Root’s other outdoor scents, is light and refreshing. The sweet food scents, including Cinnamon Buns and Martha's Sugar Cookie, are wonderfully spicy and a bit dangerous as they perfectly imitate the yummy originals. No nibbling the candles please!
I found Root candles to be long in burning time and excellent in scent. The vivid colors keep their tint well and look beautiful. The scents are strong, but not overpowering, and scent is released evenly as the candle burns down. The wicks almost never needed trimming! (How’d they do that?)
Root wants all of its customers to have a pleasant experience and they go out of their way to provide a storage and safety section on their web site. They also provide an online catalog with a dazzling array of products available, and a list or retailers by zip code. My Christmas shopping for next year is going to be a piece of cake! (They probably have a fresh-baked cake scent too.)
Go light up your lightstyle!
Write to Root at:
Root Candles
Box 706
Medina, Ohio 44256
Call to order at (800) BUY-ROOT
or visit the Root web site at:
www.rootcandles.com
To see the individual boxes for each LightStyle go to:
www.rootcandles.com/shop/giftboxes.cfm?CatID=141&GroupType=0
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