12 - The Unger Memorial Library - MyPlainview.com

Page 2C - Sunday, June 12, 2011 - Plainview Herald www.MyPlainview.com
Herald
LIFESTYLES
NEITHER HERE NOR THERE
NICKI
BRUCE LOGAN
Mind your
Tweets . . .
I don’t know about you,
but I really don’t want a man
who Tweets a picture of his
private parts as my voice in
Washington, D.C.
The stories and photos in
the media for the past week
have been amazing with New
York Rep. Anthony Weiner
fi rst claiming his Twitter
account had been hacked
(hello, if it was hacked,
where did the hackers get the
explicit photos of the hackee
in the fi rst place?) then confessing
that, yes, he had sent
the photos.
That is a visual on which I
don’t want to linger, but the
thought of a representative
taking time to take photos
of himself, then send them
out via social media tells me
that the guy has too much
time on his hands. I want him
thinking of ways to solve the
economic crisis and how to
get our military home, not
taking photos of himself in
his underwear.
After he confessed to the
indiscretions (yes, there were
multiple Tweets), he declared
he’ll continue as a congressional
representative . . . after
all, he is sorry. Being a fairly
intelligent person, I agree
with an old friend, Norman
Dulaney, who was worldwise
and would have replied
that Weiner is only sorry he
got caught. The proof of that
is while Weiner was confessing
to the recent Tweet, he
admitted that he had done it
before at least six times without
confessing, both before
and after his recent marriage.
Once he was caught, he
denied it, then when cornered
and confronted with the truth,
confessed.
You can smile and say that
what Weiner does in private
is his business. I agree, but
when he shared what should
have been private, it became
all of our business. I expect
the people I elect to public
offi ce, then pay with my
hard-earned tax dollars, be
honest and have integrity. I
call that character.
His latest admission is that
his new wife is pregnant with
their fi rst child. That is just
sad for his wife. Someday,
she will have to explain the
whole situation to that child.
Uncomfortable, to say the
least.
He says he and his wife
are staying together and will
work on improving their
marriage. After all, he said
he didn’t have a physical
relationship with another
woman, the contact was
through Tweets and e-mails.
To date, his wife hasn’t commented,
and she wasn’t by
his side when he made his
pathetic confession.
I wonder if he would be
spouting the same guff — I
like that word (def.: empty
talk) — if his wife was on
CNN telling the world that
she had sent out pictures of
herself to other men, but,
hey, it didn’t mean anything.
I’ll bet you a Coke that
New York voters can fi nd
at least one man in their
state with integrity who will
represent them in the House
of Representatives without
feeling the need to take and
Tweet pictures of themselves
in (and out of) underwear to
other women.
Just saying . . .
• • •
One of the things I want
Weiner and the rest of
Congress to check into is in
a recent article written by
Elizabeth MacDonald and
Kathryn Glass for FOX Business.
They wrote: “A surprising
new government report
shows that taxpayers have
been footing the bill for
retiree benefi ts not just for
federal workers, but for independent
freelance contractors
who do work for the government
as well.
“And no one is watching
the store to see if your tax
dollars are being wasted.
“Taxpayers for years
NEITHER, Page 4C
Courtesy Photo
Michael Foster carefully pours dozens of candles in a session in his work room at Kan Del’s Candles & Gifts. He and his wife, Donise,
started the business in their home in 2002, later opening the gift shop and warehouse at 605 Amarillo. In less than 10 years, the business
has grown to include more than 85 wholesale customers.
By NICKI BRUCE LOGAN
Herald Lifestyles Editor
After attending a candle party
at a neighbor’s home, Donise
Foster says a glimmer of an idea
blossomed and grew until she
shared her business dream with her
husband. Soon, Donise and Michael
were processing their own candles
in their home.
Both are graduates of Plainview
High School and Wayland Baptist
University, and while they had fulfi
lling careers at Wal-Mart Distribution
and hospice care, the Fosters
still had a dream of owning their
own business.
“We wanted our own business
and we wanted to produce a quality
product,” Donise explains.
The candle party gave her a vision
of a popular product they could
make with a minimum of overhead.
From the start of Kan Del’s in
2002, the young couple was determined
to make a success of their
business while upholding high standards
of quality. To do that, they
have hand-poured each wickless
candle, putting triple the amount of
fragrance in each one.
Knowing the importance of marketing,
the pair sold their products
through trade shows, consultants,
craft shows, scrub fairs, a Web site,
fundraisers and retail stores.
“Michael and I have worked
hard to market our product through
various means — the newspaper
has been instrumental in getting our
product information out to consum-
HAND POURED
ers,” she added. “We value our
local media and resources.”
By 2004, the Fosters outgrew
their home “factory” and moved to
their current business location at
605 Amarillo.
With 3,000 square feet, they
made and sold their standard and
wickless candles, then expanded
into gifts and fl oral.
Kan Del’s was a success, but the
Fosters knew they wanted more.
Soon, Michael was pouring
simmering chunks, an off-shoot of
wicked candles.
“Our wickless, simmering chunks
are founded on the simple idea of
offering a safer alternative to traditional
candles,” Donise explains,
adding that their simmering chunks
are highly-scented blocks of wax
designed to be heated in decorative
warmers where the wax is melted.
An important element in the
candles and simmering chunks is
the intense scent Michael adds to
a quality wax. Kan Del’s offers 95
fragrances.
“Our scents bring emotions and
memories to the surface,” Donise
says. “Our motto and logo is
that our candles and chunks are
‘Hand Poured and Made From the
Heart.’ ”
The next step in their business
plan was to develop a wholesale
clientele, starting two years ago
by exhibiting at the Dallas Market
Center.
Kan Del’s was showcased in
the New Product Gallery 2011 at
the Center and they now have a
full-time presence in the Metrotex
Designs Inc. showroom in the Dallas
Trade Mart.
Their success is refl ected in the
three main chain stores that carry
their products.
“We wholesale to more than 85
stores, including three with multiple
locations: Gebo’s, Ellis Pottery and
Sam Moon,” Michael says.
“Our product has been shipped to
12 states including Texas, Arkansas,
Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana,
Massachusetts, Missouri, Nebraska,
New Mexico, New York, Ohio and
Oklahoma,” he adds with understandable
pride.
Working tirelessly, the couple has
Page 2C
Sunday, June 12, 2011
MyPlainview.com/lifestyles
Dream leads to gift shop, wholesale business
By M. SHANE HARRELL
Fair Theatre Manager
The West Texas Country
Music Hayride will
make its Plainview debut
next Saturday evening at
the historic Fair Theatre.
The free country jamboree
will feature recording
artist Daron Norwood and
singer/songwriter Reydon
Stanford, along with special
guests Cathleen Tyson
and Trey Topper.
Norwood has scored
several hits on radio and
music charts and has
worked with some of the
biggest names in country
music, including Kenny
Chesney, Alabama, Faith
Hill, Tim McGraw and
Merle Haggard. He has
performed on the Grand
Ole Opry and has toured
most of the U.S. In 2004
the Inspirational Country
Music Association honored
Norwood with the
Song of the Year award
for his composition “In
God We Trust.”
Stanford also is well-
known within the industry.
In 1979 at age 17, he
co-founded the Anchor
Brothers Band and began
his recording career. The
Anchor Brothers served as
the opening act for such
gospel bands as the Kingsmen
and the Gold City
Quartet. The group also
was a popular feature on
the West Texas Saturday
Night Opry. Together,
they recorded 11 albums
over the course of 15
years.
To add a touch of local
fl avor, the two performers
will be joined on stage by
Tyson of Amarillo and
14-year-old Topper of
Aiken.
Tyson grew up with
music and credits her
brother’s early infl uence.
She studied voice
at Amarillo College.
Past affi liations include
the group Airborne, the
Holy Katz band and the
Amarillo Opera. She has
performed with choirs and
Donise Foster
established a reputable business and
customer base. Keeping up with
their orders keeps Michael busy
pouring, but he says he wouldn’t
have it any other way. Being busy
fi lling orders means being successful.
“Even through the economic
hardship our country has been going
through, our company has been
very blessed and the Lord has given
Michael and me a vision to maintain
a growing company through
expansion and wholesale,” Donise
says.
“Our company has been very
blessed.”
Never ones to stop and savor
their success, the Fosters continue
their marketing and expansion
plans.
At a recent Dallas market, they
were approached by a nationallytelevised
shopping show wanting to
feature their candles and simmering
chunks.
“We were fl attered that they
would want us,” Donise says while
explaining the enormous amount
of product they would have to
provide . . . something like 10,000
units of at least eight different
scents.
Donise smiles and her eyes
sparkle at the challenge.
“That amount is more than we
can provide right now, but some
day . . .”
To comment:
nlogan@hearstnp.com
806.296.1362
West Texas Country Hayride stops at the Fair
HAYRIDE, Page 4C
Courtesy Photo
Cathleen Tyson (left), Reydon Standford, Trey Topper and Daron Norwood will claim the spotlight as
part of the West Texas Country Music Hayride set for Saturday at the Fair Theatre. The evening will include
a mix of Norwood’s No. 1 hits and popular country and gospel tunes.