Malia Riggs
Elmore Autauga News
Nothing brings back a memory like a fragrance can. Keeping it all in the family, Tumpies Candles along with the Prattville Area Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting to signify the new specialty business in Prattville, just in time for the holidays.
Tumpies Candles owner Brenda Ward is a long-time Prattville resident. She said that getting her retirement vision of Tumpies Candles off the ground could not have been done without the help of her family, who are the best “sniffers.”
“The one thing I learned early on in candle making was that you test, you test, you test, and then you test, until it isn’t any fun anymore. But you’re still testing because they have to be safe, and they have to be the fragrance that you want and they have to burn correctly,” Ward said.
All candles are hand forged in small batches to perfectly curate the scents, consistency and safety of all the products Tumpies Candles has to offer. What started as a candle making class over three years ago has now turned into a full-fledged business, honoring family lineage, heritage and legacy.
The name and first candle made for Tumpies Candles both stem from Ward’s mother, Tumpie Johnston. Ward stated that her mother was a character.
“When we started it, we brought all the family together because they were her grandmother and great grandmother to see how they felt. They all jumped on board and then my son said, ‘you know if you’re going to do candles and you’re going to call it Tumpies, we have to tell some stories about Tumpie,’” Ward said.
Ward explained that the first candle made as Tumpies Candles pays direct tribute to her mother, and her polite exasperation of people getting her married name of Mrs. Johnston wrong, and calling her Mrs. Johnson without the T instead.
“She would very politely but very quickly, correct them and tell them it was Johnston with a T, and the T in Johnston was just as important as the R in the word shirt,” Ward said making the crowd erupt in laughter.
Thus, the signature line of Tumpies Candles was born, starting the story of the first candle called, The “R” in Shirt. Tumpies website states that this is a clean smelling candle, that will “make your home smell like that fresh load of laundry that has just come out of the dryer (and probably the one you’ll have to remember to fold and put away later).”
Ward went on to thank her husband for his devotion and dedication to her vision. She also thanked her sister, her children, grandchildren and great grandchild, who were all in attendance and had an integral part of starting the business.
Also in attendance was a handful of Prattville Area Chamber of Commerce ambassadors, Prattville Mayor Bill Gillespie as well as community members and further friends and family of Ward.
“In keeping Tumpies memory, we also want to remember her and honor her. But we’re also going to remember and honor God and give Him all the praise. Because I can promise you, none of this would have happened without him. This was truly inspired, I believe, by God,” Ward said.
