Becky Neal is a talented, creative woman whose interest in design, art and candle making has grown into a flourishing candle business.
As a wife and mother of three children, Beckey always had a creative, entrepreneurial spirit. Born and raised in the Mississippi Delta, she learned to be innovative and to make the beautiful things she desired. Born to a family of limited means, she credits her mother with teaching her to paint, arrange flowers and giving her the confidence to do anything she wanted.
In 1990, at 43, Beckey enrolled in college to pursue an education in nursing. Interestingly, Beckey was a collegian alongside her two daughters. Beckey worked as a registered nurse for eight years, but her creative passions continued to surface. Beckey and her daughter’s candle-making hobby grew. They enjoyed experimenting with different colors, sizes, shapes and scents that were uncommon in most shops. With $15,000, Beckey and her oldest daughter, Kim Wigington, opened the Wicks n’ More retail shop in Tupolo, MS, selling candles, flowers and other crafts in 1999. They enjoyed experimenting together with uncommon shapes and colors that led to the multicolored pillar candle line that is their trademark product today. While Kim poured candles, developed formulas and mastered the art, Beckey focused on promoting the line in their new gift shop.
In six months, Wicks n’ More netted $30,000, and began establishing its strong reputation in the pillar candle industry, a much more involved and labor-intense industry than the container candle industry. For three years, Beckey worked two jobs, torn between nursing and the new candle business. She eventually left nursing to help build the business and create the beautiful hand-poured candles they are famous for today.
Since its beginnings, Beckey and her daughter have guided Wicks n’ More through extensive expansion. No longer a retail shop, Wicks n’ More focuses on manufacturing its beautiful, decorative, highly fragranced candles in their 83,000-square foot facility on 20 acres in Mantachie, MS. Today, Beckey serves as Vice President of Wicks n’ More and attributes the company’s growth to their high-quality products, and to her family’s endurance and determination over the years. Beckey is involved in new product development, color and fragrance selections and marketing.
Wicks n’ More is the leading manufacturer of exquisite, hand-poured, decorative scented candles. The company’s candles are hand-poured, wicked and finished in its factory, and are sold in more than 3000 fine boutiques and departments stores nationwide. They are represented in all major showrooms and markets.
Becky Neal