03 July 2014

The History of the Valley Candle Company


A couple years ago, I posted an item about how the television series "Miami Vice," in 1985, was allowed to blow up up an old business on Columbia Street called the Valley Candle Company.

I didn't know much about the company when I wrote that post. Since then, however, I've been contacted by a descendent of the company's founder. That was Saverio DellaValle, pictured below. (Hence, the name of the business.) Saverio came to Brooklyn from Naples in 1905. He made religious candles and delivered them to the churches in NYC. An open-minded businessman, he also made candles for the religious Jewish holidays. There were family stories that, while he was making candles, Saverio ran a still running in the factory during Prohibition. There's an enterprising gent!

The family sold the business in the '70s.




6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't know him, but I miss him.

Thanks for the "memory".

Anonymous said...

IMG_0312.JPG I have a box of Yankee Candle religious candles. I've never burned any of them, they're pretty old and really cool.

Megan DellaValle said...

That is my great grandfather.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for posting this, he was my great grandfather.

lisa duggan said...

This is my ex brother-in-law's father. Wasn't he a handsome fellow?

Anonymous said...

Unless your ex brother in law is over 100 years old, that's impossible. Lol I'm 42 and he was my great grandfathers father. My grandfather would be 83 turning 84 right now.