Hale & Wick
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Customer care

Care, shipping & returns.

Everything we would tell you at the counter, written down. If something here doesn’t answer your question, call the shop at (415) 555-0148, Tuesday through Saturday, 11 to 6.

Candle care

Six rules for a long burn.

  1. 1

    Trim to a quarter inch

    Before every lighting. A long wick smokes, flickers, and soots the glass.

  2. 2

    Burn to the edge

    The first burn should reach the rim, about three hours for a house glass, or the wax will tunnel.

  3. 3

    Four hours at most

    After that the wick mushrooms and the glass runs hot. Let it rest and light it again tomorrow.

  4. 4

    Stay out of drafts

    Windows, vents, and ceiling fans pull the flame sideways and burn the glass unevenly.

  5. 5

    Stop at half an inch

    When a half inch of wax remains, the candle is finished. Bring the glass back for a refill.

  6. 6

    Never leave it alone

    Never leave a lit candle in an empty room, or within reach of children, pets, or curtains.

June has written more about the first evening with a new glass in the journal: The first burn is the one that matters.

Shipping

Wrapped by hand, twice a week.

Orders placed by telephone or at the counter leave the shop on Tuesdays and Fridays. Every glass is wrapped in paper, set in shredded paper, and boxed in recycled kraft board. No plastic, no peanuts, and no air pillows, which Lise considers a personal matter.

We have shipped to all fifty states and, once, to a Coast Guard cutter off Point Reyes, which signed for it.

Ship days
Tuesdays and Fridays, from the shop
Bay Area
Usually two days · $9, free over $120
California
Two to four days · $12
Rest of the US
Three to six days · $16
International
Not at present, with one historic exception
Summer pause
No shipping in July. The van is hotter than the wax.

Returns

If something’s wrong.

If a glass arrives broken, or burns badly through no fault of yours, bring it back or send a photograph and we’ll replace it. We don’t need a receipt. We signed the bottom, so we know it’s ours.

Unlit candles can be exchanged within thirty days. Lit candles can’t be returned because you didn’t like the scent, but tell us anyway. We read every card.

Refills & empties

Bring the glass back.

Scrape out the last of the wax, or don’t, and bring any Hale & Wick glass to the counter. We’ll refill it with any house scent for $34, or take it back for a $4 credit toward your next candle. Returned glasses are washed, inspected, and poured again.

To clean a glass at home, set it in the freezer for an hour. The wax will shrink and pop out in one piece. Wash with warm soapy water. It makes a very good tumbler, pencil cup, or, per one customer, button jar.

Safety

Burn candles within sight, on a heat-resistant surface, away from anything that can catch fire. Keep them out of reach of children and pets. Don’t move a lit or still-liquid candle. Stop using a candle if the flame becomes too large or the glass becomes cracked or very hot. These are the least funny sentences on our website, deliberately.