XENIA — Thanks to a Spectrum Small Business Initiative, one Jamestown-based candle shop has grown in customers and recognition online.

In late 2023, Charter Communications, operating under Spectrum, announced a nearly $1.25 billion investment in Ohio for broadband expansion. As a part of this plan, Charter is using almost $750 million to bring high-speed internet access to nearly 140,000 unserved homes and small businesses, according to Spectrum. The initiative began in southwest Ohio, and has since spread upward to Xenia and Jamestown, right to the doorstep of Candles by Just Be.

Stacia Anderson, co-owner of Just Be LLC, is one of the most recent customers of this broadband internet program, and said she’s seen tangible results from the upgrade.

Anderson founded the company more than two years ago with her sisters, Gina Beardsley, and Valerie Welch. After a little trial and error — and a lot of wax — the trio turned a personal passion and skill into a thriving community staple.

The business hasn’t always been booming, however, and until recently it has struggled tremendously with unreliable internet connections that kept the owners from updating their inventory and posting their candles online on a regular basis.

“We just kept losing signal,” Anderson said.

Just over a month ago, however, Anderson said she and her sisters noticed the Spectrum crew digging in their front yard, and knew there was an opportunity to change things up.

“Now, we’re able to post things faster without losing inventory,” she said. “We’ve already seen a change in sales.”

Anderson and her sisters are able to now post regularly on their website, www.candlesbyjustbe.com, as well as their Facebook group, Candles by Just Be.

“I think that now we can focus on bringing in more products,” said Anderson.”And we’ll be able to post them faster.”

Candles by Just Be are handmade with a coconut and apricot wax blend, with a slow burn wood wick and unique scents. The sisters have a physical location in Jamestown, and use it to host other vendors who sell items like handmade soaps, jewelry and bird feeders. The business is located at 6237 State Route 734. The sisters also sell their products online, at Flours Gift Shop in Xenia, Save a Lot Food Center in Caldwell, and DealBusters Marketplace in Byesville.

The wax blend was made after a lot of collaboration, according to Anderson, and they’re constantly working to stretch their creativity in candle-making. They even take custom orders for customers who want something more specific.

“Spectrum’s investments in Ohio — combined with vital public funding and additional local broadband grant programs — are providing the critical infrastructure so many Ohio families and small businesses need to compete in the digital world,” said Mike Hogan, Spectrum spokesperson. “Through this multiyear investment in our network, we will ensure that customers across our entire Ohio service area will receive even faster broadband speeds, with the network security and reliability they have come to reply upon.”

Since the beginning of the rural construction initiative in Ohio, the company has built more than 3,000 miles and activated nearly 28,000 passings and counting, according to Spectrum.

Broadband internet didn’t make Candles by Just Be a success, but Anderson said she’s grateful for the clear improvement her business has seen just by having a better connection and using social media as a marketing tool. Now, moving forward, Anderson said she’s excited to continue building her business and connecting with customers near and far.

Reach Ethan Charles at 937-372-4444.