Zoning board grants temporary permit for home-based candle maker with fire-safety condition

The Zoning Board of Appeals voted to grant a temporary permit to Jacqueline Garlow of 1368 Lawson Road to operate a home-based candle-making business, imposing a safety condition requiring a fire-rated metal storage cabinet.

The clerk read the applicant’s request for a temporary home-based permit and the board asked Garlow to describe operations. Garlow said she would use coconut and beeswax, make small batches in an electric melter in her basement, ship products to customers or sell at farmers’ markets, and would not host customers at her home. “I’m not lighting any candles at all,” she told the board, adding that she would use electric melters with an automatic shutoff and keep supplies in metal cabinets.

Board members asked about odor, fire safety, product quantities and deliveries. Garlow estimated an initial run of about 60 candles using roughly 35 pounds of wax, said she has an EIN and has formed an LLC/DBA, and confirmed she would follow tax and state filing requirements. The board and staff recommended fire-safety precautions, including using an electric melter with an automatic shutoff and storing materials in fire-rated cabinets.

A motion to grant the two-year temporary permit passed with a condition that Garlow obtain and submit proof of a fire-rated metal cabinet to the building department. The roll call recorded affirmative votes from several members and one dissenting vote. The applicant was told she can apply for an extension after the temporary period if needed.

The board flagged no additional operational bans beyond the condition; Garlow was advised to coordinate any required inspections with the building or fire inspectors and to submit the cabinet documentation to the building department as evidence of compliance.