A conversation with Adam McFarlin
“I like to refer to Kalamazoo Candle Company as a happy accident,” McFarlin says. “I didn’t really intend to start a candle company, but it’s something I’ve really grown passionate about over these years, and it’s been a really fun ride.”
Making candles
Credit Kalamazoo Candle Company
McFarlin experimented making candles in his garage. He was fascinated with the process and enjoyed spending hours just reading about it as he perfected his technique.
“I think it was partly due to my own background,” he says. “My degrees are actually in music. I have a bachelor’s in music education and a master’s in music performance from Western Michigan University. As anyone who is in music or sports or many other things knows, what the public sees of your work is really only about one percent or so of your actual time as a musician. The other 99 percent is your time practicing, getting better at your craft. That’s a process that’s ingrained me: the love of getting better at something.”