Big Gay Candle Co.’s humor, quality, natural materials are the sparks for an Iowa business – Ames Tribune
James Walters, the co-owner of Big Gay Candle Co. in Johnston, has a sense of humor that shines through in the names of his products and the quips on their labels. His candles, on the other hand, are serious business.
With hand-poured, 100% soy wax candles and melts, Big Gay Candle Co. offers a selection of 4-ounce and 8-ounce candles and 3-ounce wax melts with names like “Oh, honey,” “His Hoodie,” “Iced Coffee & Cigarettes” and “Coming Out on Thanksgiving.”
Walters said when people see his products in person, they usually laugh at the names and what else is written on their labels. “They usually laugh, which is great. But then they say, ‘Oh, that does smell good,’ ” he said.
Offering candles made with natural, environmentally friendly materials is important, Walters said.
He uses drinking glasses as the vessels for his candles so they can be cleaned out and reused.
“I use phthalate-free fragrances, and they’re paraben-free, as well, which is really important because the parabens can cause headaches,” he said.
He uses lead-free wicks made of cotton paper, too.
“I didn’t even know lead was an issue in candles until I started making them,” he said. “And I thought, ‘Why are we still using lead in wicks — that we set on fire — in our homes?’
“I try to be as natural as possible — I also use as many recycled or recyclable products as possible, like recycled paper for the labels and reusable drinking glasses.”
Not ‘glitter and rainbows and unicorns’
Big Gay Candle Co. was born out of necessity, said Walters, the 6-foot-5 self-described “Big Gay” behind the company’s name.
He was looking for a candle to give as a gift to a friend, who’s gay and older than him.
“All I could find was glitter and rainbows and unicorns,” Walters said. “And I thought, ‘We’re not teenagers — we’re not spring chickens; we’re not old, but we’re not on that side of being gay.’ ”
That’s where Walters’ customer base started, but it’s shifted after Big Gay Candle’s recent participation in markets, like Madrid’s Locally Grown Showcase, Iowa City Pride and Vintage & Made in Des Moines.
The labels clearly state the candles are “Made in Iowa.”
Walters’ products, with their elegant look, variety of fragrances and playful humor, have hit a mark with the women who attend the markets who gravitate to his products and his personality like moths to a flame.
“They love the products, and also this is a very easy way for someone to be an ally,” he said.
It’s easy because Big Gay Candle Co.’s products are off-white with clean lines and offer a level of sophistication that spark with Walters’ humorous product names and sayings.
Even the one colorful, rainbow-themed candle, Pride Everyday, is still somewhat understated in its sleek glass container, with an elegant label that reminds “It’s not just in June.”
Like Big Gay’s other candles, it’s hand-poured, but this one is eight layers — from purple to pink to white. They are particularly labor-intensive and take Walters about two days to complete. Like Big Gay’s other products, it’s weighed for consistency.
“Pride Everyday smells like earthy, woodsy cologne,” Walters said. “It smells like boy.”
Pride candles, which are available only in 8-ounce jars, sell for $25. Other Big Gay Candle products sell for $20 for an 8-ounce candle, $10 for a 4-ounce and $5 for 3-ounce wax melts.
“Our most popular scents are Iced Coffee & Cigarettes, Brunch, Creampie and Chosen Family,” he said. “Creampie is my favorite — it smells like a bakery.”
Pandemic ignited idea for Big Gay Candle Co.
“I’m a musician by trade, and the pandemic was kind of difficult for most people, but especially arts people,” Walters said.
Prior to the pandemic, he’d worked in the music departments at Urbandale and Johnston schools, but it became difficult to help keep up with amid COVID-19.
“Doing stuff online was very, very difficult, and it burnt me out very, very quickly,” Walters said. “I reached a threshold where I couldn’t do it anymore.”
He quit and took stock of his situation for about a month.
He had the idea for a candle company with his business partner, Kinsey Mazunik of Waukee, a couple of years ago.
Big Gay Candle Co. officially launched March 15, 2021.
The business started on Instagram and Etsy, with three new candle scents released at a time.
His first batch was “Oh, honey” (“a judgmental scent that smells like side-eye and a beehive”), “Brunch” (“bottomless mimosas with a side of b—-ing”) and “Gym Showers” (“smells like soap, hormones and regret”).
“Gym Shower is an accidental Christmas candle,” Walters said. “Because it smells very piney.”
Walters comes up with the names first and then comes up with the scents and works backward from there.
‘Coming Out on Thanksgiving’ candle inspired by ‘Will and Grace’
“Coming Out on Thanksgiving” was inspired by a double-episode of “Will and Grace.”
“They are my favorite episodes, and I just think they’re hilariously funny,” Walters said. “The candle is a mix of pumpkin and chai and cinnamon fragrances.”
Walters grew up in Lawson, Missouri, a “teeny tiny town” near Kansas City, “a place I couldn’t wait to leave,” he said, and came to Iowa to attend Simpson College.
“I came out when I was 29. I’m 39 now. I’d been married for three years, so I had to get divorced and come out all at once. It was super fun,” he said dryly.
He told his immediate family in July 2011 and, before he saw his extended family for Thanksgiving, he sent out a group Facebook message.
“I told them I came out this summer and please don’t mention it; it will be awkward,” he said with a laugh. “My mom’s side of the family thought I’d be coming out at Thanksgiving, but I wasn’t — already done.”
For the holidays, Walters has a new batch that are a naughty-and-nice theme for the new candle scents.
Walters took his business to its first market in September, when he attended the Vintage and Made market at the Dallas County Fairgrounds. The next weekend, he attended Madrid’s Locally Grown Showcase and then Iowa City Pride Fest in early October.
Big Gay Candle will return to markets in the coming weeks — Vintage & Made at Des Moines’ River Center on Saturday, Nov. 13; the Locally Grown Showcase at the Snus Hill Winery near Madrid on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 20-21, and the Beautiful Land Market at the Prairie Moon Winery in Ames on Dec. 3-4.
Online orders can be made at Big Gay Candle Co.’s Etsy shop.
Walters also has his candles at Bing’s in West Des Moines’ Valley Junction and is looking for other retailers. Long-term, he says he hopes to have his own storefront.