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Devin Rathburn trims evergreen boughs to just the right length for a fragrant double-sided wreath.
by Lisa Stinson, Community Journalist
HARDWICK – At Hazen Union, the holiday magic has already begun. Students in Jay Modry’s Building a Business class are busy in the workshop, creating scented candles, wax melts, soaps, and holiday wreaths, all for sale to the public. Scents of balsam fir, cranberry, lavender, and gingerbread are thick in the air, while students learn hands-on lessons in consumer preferences, inventory, manufacturing processes, revenue, expenses, sales, and marketing.
Their business, called Hazen Wreaths, is taking and fulfilling orders now through December 15. Once seasonal sales wrap up, students will crunch the numbers and be able to keep any profits from their enterprise. On pay day (the last day of class), profits will be distributed based on the hours each student logs and will include bonuses that the class votes on.
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In a critical step on the production line, Aiden Sloan blends olive and coconut oils for use in the holiday-scented candles.
Orders may be placed online on the student-built website at bit.ly/hazen-wreaths. The class will also sell their handcrafted items at the Highland Center for the Arts Wintermarket in Greensboro on Saturday, Dec. 2, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the community is invited to stop by the Hazen Wreaths booth at this Bavarian-themed artisan market. Admission to the market is free.
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Ella Renaud showcases a freshly packaged bar of handcrafted lavender soap, just one of the many artisan products Hazen Wreaths is producing as part of their business class.
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Mariah Dunbar carefully heats the tops of holiday-scented candles, smoothing the surface in preparation for the customer.
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After gathering fresh balsam boughs locally, Andersen Williams and Chase Benway clip and crimp as they handcraft wreaths for sale to the community.
