My great grandfather Noah Silverman is the founder of our family business. From humble beginnings, we are now a worldwide corporation with factories in seventeen countries. Noah arrived in the east end of London at the time that Jack the ripper was stalking the streets by night. No women were safe, especially the many prostitutes.

He managed to rent a small somewhat dilapidated building in a backstreet. All around him was abject poverty. What struck him most of all was that very few of the tenements showed any lights after dark. Noah had enough basic materials to start his business. The regular supplies he needed he would get on credit from a Jewish wholesaler in Camden Town.

After working through the night he was ready to start selling his wares. The cost was two candles for a penny, and even at that price, he sold very few. Noah soon realised that he was in the wrong place. By night he made his wares and by day he crossed over the river to Kensington, a far more upmarket place. 

Business picked up quite quickly, he even doubled the price of the candles and could be sold out in a few hours. Noah knew what he had to do but how? There was no money only enough to keep the business going.

One winter afternoon whilst out on the streets he saw a very familiar figure, It was his niece Rebecca, she had moved to London with her mother a few years ago. There was however a slight problem, she was clearly touting for business. Her face lit up when she saw Noah. Rebecca made no secret of what she had become. 

Her mother was gravely ill with tuberculosis and Rebecca was doing what she thought was right to bring money into their impoverished home. Noah did not judge, he felt only pity for her. Rebecca always stood in the same place so that her regular clients knew where to find her.

Noah saw her often and always managed to exchange a few words. The business was getting better and better. He knew that he couldn't keep working during the night and selling by day, he needed help. Sadly Rebecca's mother, Noah's sister died suddenly one night in December.

After the funeral, Noah asked his niece if she would like to join him in his business and get off the streets. She accepted his kind offer without hesitation. I think that it would be true to say that Rebecca was probably the one who moved the business forward.

She was the person who came up with the idea of little coloured candles to adorn the birthday cakes of the children of well to do families. Noah was churning them out in hundreds, and Rebecca was selling them in the better neighborhoods. At long last, they had enough money to move to better premises in Kensington. 

As a gesture of goodwill to the impoverished people of Whitechapel, Noah gave every person he could see on the streets a candle each so for a short while they would not be in the dark.

Life was good and getting better and better. Noah probably fucked Rebecca many times how could he not? They only had one bed between them. The next creation was to make full-sized candles in an array of colours.

This idea proved very popular. Rebecca no longer sold on the streets, the customers started coming to the shop. One night she went downstairs to make herself and Noah a mug of coffee. In his workshop, there was always a pile of reject candles that were not the right shape or colour. These would be melted down and the wax reused.

What Rebecca saw was something that would make a comfortable business into a very much in demand business? Rebecca once again had an idea but she needed the right lady?    Part two to follow shortly.