Emkay candles-- they made religious candles just laid off about 38 people last year. They have put the factory up for sale.
Here is the listing for the factory if anyone would like to open a candle factory:
http://search.pyramidbrokerage.com/DesktopModules/Pyramid/pdf.ashx?lid=Y10268And the other big candle company moved to Tennessee
http://blog.syracuse.com/opinion/2010/02/will_and_baumer_opens_in_tenn.htmlBut then a Canadian company moved in the old candle factory that moved away:
A Canadian company is purchasing the vacant Will & Baumer Inc. plant in Salina and plans to use it to make specialty candles.
Light 4 Life Candles LLC, a subsidiary of a candle company in Scarborough, Ontario, plans to install high-speed machines that can produce “vessel-filled” candles — candles contained in glass jars — in high volume, Onondaga County officials said.
Production is set to begin this fall. The company estimates it will create 60 jobs at the site within three years and may look to hire former Will & Baumer employees, county officials said.
Will & Baumer ended 153 years of church-candle making in the Syracuse area last year when it moved to a new plant in Lewisburg, Tenn., near Nashville. At the time, it was the oldest manufacturer in Onondaga County. The move eliminated 25 local jobs.
http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2010/05/canadian_candle_company_moving.htmlLooks to me that most of the trouble is due to outsourcing and China
SCHUMER: LAST MAJOR SYRACUSE CANDLE MAKER AT RISK BECAUSE OF UNFAIRLY TRADED CHINESE CANDLES FLOODING THE MARKET – SCHUMER TO FEDS: MAKE SURE ANTI-DUMPING LAWS STAY STRONG TO KEEP CATHEDRAL CANDLE IN BUSINESS
Chinese Companies Are Circumventing U.S. Trade Laws, Finding Loopholes To Dump Candles Into U.S. Market And Avoid Payment of Customs Duties
As Commerce Dept. Decides On New Anti-Dumping Guidelines, Schumer Urges Feds Not To Open Up More Loopholes For Chinese Companies Already Engaged in Predatory Pricing
Schumer: We Should Level the Playing Field and Protect Syracuse’s Heritage As A Candle Making City, Not Help Chinese Candle Makers Destroy Syracuse Jobs
http://schumer.senate.gov/Newsroom/record.cfm?id=332090&&year=2011&At one time we had five major candlemakers in the city.