40 countries, 35 years, many memories
Nearly 40 years and 40 countries later, Simons owns the A Candle in the Night furniture store in Brattleboro with his wife, Donna, and they're celebrating the store's 35th anniversary this month.
"A number of friends and I were travelers and would buy things from around the world," Simons said of his store's humble beginnings. "We were wandering the hippy trail buying things and sending them home. Then we had to decide what to do with them."
By the early 1970s Simons and his traveling buddies had accumulated a mass of inventory and wanted to start a business selling it all. After much discussion and planning Simons and friend Gary Maulucci started A Candle in the Night on the corner of Main and Flat streets in 1973.
Despite the excitement of the store's grand opening, economic turmoil soon threatened to foil the new storeowners' plans.
The year 1973 is when OAPAC (Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries) announced an oil embargo in response to the U.S. support of the Israeli military. The crisis brought dramatic inflation to the country, but A Candle in
"We've been through some tough times," Simons said. "Somehow or other we managed to survive over the years."
Simons said the store managed to get through the hard times by selling a variety of products. While the store specializes in imported furniture, antiques and natural-dyed rugs now, the inventory has included merchandise like faucets, bathtubs and clothing in the past.
"Along the way we were a lot of things," Simons said. "We even sold plants and used clothing when we first opened."
Five years after the grand opening, the Sam's Outdoor Outfitters announced plans to expand, so Simons and Maulucci had to move. Simons wasn't dismayed and quickly moved the store into the W.T. Grants complex further north on Main Street. The location was a retail mall at the time and worked perfectly for the growing company.
A Candle in the Night took up half the building and shared it with several other stores. But over the years the store expanded its inventory and needed more space.
Fast-forward to today and A Candle in the Night takes up the entire old W.T. Grants building, more than 11,000 square feet, and the Simons own the building. The store's six galleries are filled to the brim with nearly 2,000 items, ranging from natural-dyed Persian rugs to 100-year-old antique Japanese furniture.
Each gallery is overflowing with creative montages of couches, colorful lamps, hand-stitched rugs, tables, chests and more, all created by artisans from around the world. The goal, Simons says, is to create an authentic environment to display their product.
"Many of the people who stroll through A Candle in the Night tell us that it is the most beautiful store they've ever seen," Simons said. "Some even ask if they can live here."
While Simons imported each piece of furniture in his store at the beginning, times have changed and he says that isn't possible anymore.
"We started this company in 1973 and there wasn't anything in this store we didn't go buy," Simons said. "That's impractical to do these days."
These days, Simons says, he makes some trips to India and China to get furniture, but gets a majority of his inventory from importers. On a recent trip to India, Simons witnessed artisans searching through old pieces of furniture to assemble new creations.
"We go to these huge warehouses with acres of broken down furniture," Simons said. "There's guys there making new stuff from old stuff."
These artisans come up with creative ways to use old objects. A stroll down the stairs to A Candle in the Night's outlet center reveals a table made from an old pig trough, desks turned into coffee tables and old ceiling panels ready to be adapted for a new use.
One piece at A Candle in the Night is a particularly good example of the globalized world we live in today. It was made in a Japanese style in China by a Korean and painted by Tibetans.
One area of the store Simons is particularly proud of is the selection of hand naturally-dyed, hand-spun rugs from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal and the Orient. Simons says that only 3 percent of Oriental rugs are natural dye, and the intricate designs are done by masters of their trade.
"I know who the best producers are of naturally dyed rugs," Simons said. "And I mostly buy from them."
Simons said that the rugs in his store are created without the use of child labor, but he acknowledges the problem does exist. Because of this, A Candle in the Night supports organizations that work toward the eradication of slavery in the Orient.
"We are deeply concerned about the integrity of the products we sell," Simons said. "That means we do everything we can to support companies and organizations that promote the livelihood of the weavers and other workers in the Oriental rug business."
Simons says he's always looking for new ways to import unique products for his customers. Most recently, the store has started carrying "green" furniture. Carrying these products helps the environment and customer health by eliminating petroleum from the products
"A portion of our furniture business is going green," Simons said. "A good deal of what we have is nontoxic."
It's been nearly 40 years since Simons rolled into Brattleboro to start his business, and he says there's no other place quite like southern Vermont. And after 35 years of running A Candle in the Night, Simons has no regrets about his decision to stay and be a part of this community.
A Candle in the Night is located at 181 Main St., in Brattleboro. Call 802-257-0471 or visit www.acandleinthenight.com for more information.
Eric Pero can be reached at epero@reformer.com or 802-254-2311, ext. 260.
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