An Arkansas family’s business in its third generation will close up shop later this year — with the gift store’s founders, both in their 80s, now preparing for retirement.
Wicks & Wax, a hobby turned full-time operation for members of the Armbrust family, began in 1969 in Jacksonville. That 350-square-foot store has since expanded a few miles south into a 5,000-square-foot space in North Little Rock’s Park Hill neighborhood.
The store's owner, 81-year-old Dorothy Armbrust, and her husband, 80-year-old manager Joe Armbrust, have been at the helm for 47 years. But, the founders said, when a potential new tenant expressed interest, they felt it might be time to move onto their next chapter.
“It’s gotta stop,” Dorothy Armbrust joked to an Arkansas Online reporter who recently stopped by the store for a visit. “It’s been a good business. It really has,” she added.
The store, located at 3513 John F. Kennedy Blvd., is expected to close by the end of this month or the beginning of June, the Armbrusts said.
As its name suggests, Wicks & Wax has sold candles and candle accessories since its inception, but its business model has since grown to include a number of gift items ranging from decorative household pieces to coffee blends.
The eclectic selection, though thinning out as of late, continues to line most of the two-story business’s walls on shelves and in display cases.
“Customers come in and say, ‘I don’t know what I want, but I know when I come here I can find it,'” Joe Armbrust said.
Over the years, the business has employed the help of younger generations of the family — the Armbrusts' son Ken and daughter Shannon, as well as Ken’s son, Seth.
The family dynamic is prominent upon entering Wicks & Wax. Framed portraits of Seth in his football years hang above the store’s cash register.
“I was raised in it,” Ken Armbrust, said, recalling his time making fudge at the shop and candy sticks that were once sold for a nickel. “Needless to say, a lot of smiling faces and a lot of calories have been shared.”
Of the many favorite memories she holds dear, Dorothy Armbrust said that the most meaningful come from moments of sharing her Christian faith with customers. Thousands, she estimates.
Dorothy and Joe both agree that they have also shared a particular fondness for building friendships with their customers, several of whom they were able to recall by name.
A longtime customer who found out about the store 10 years ago from a friend recently brought another friend to Wicks & Wax for the first time.
“Probably about twice a year, especially at Christmastime, I always stop in,” said customer Linise Phillips of North Little Rock, adding that, while happy for the Armbrusts, she’s saddened that one of her favorites stores will no longer be around.