Notice to holiday shoppers: there are good news on the front of Hanukkah candles!

Bay Area stores have a plentiful supply – from your basic, inexpensive sticks to pretty hand-dipped Israel candles. Paraffin and beeswax candles are widely available in literally every stripe and color. No shortage of the supply chain to be found.

Best of all, most Judaica stores are safe to reopen for in-person shopping, although online is still an option. After last year’s pandemic closures, store owners and fellowship volunteers who run synagogue stores are happy to open their doors and help shoppers select not only candles, but menorahs as well. , gifts, gelts and party supplies for the house.

So where to start ?

In San Francisco, Dayenu Judaica at JCCSF is preparing for a brilliant Festival of Lights. “I think all of my clients know that Hanukkah is early this year,” owner Hiroko Rosen said.

Despite that, she’s ready for last-minute shoppers and believes she has a sufficient supply that will last all eight nights. The boutique is open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Thursday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. After the start of Hanukkah at sunset on November 28, the store will be closed again on Sunday.

Dayenu offers hand-dipped candles from Safed, Israel, in wax and beeswax, as well as many other varieties, with prices ranging from $ 2.50 to around $ 20 a box. Items can be purchased in-store or over the phone by calling (415) 563-6563. Rosen will pack and mail, if requested.

In Berkeley, Afikomen Judaica also welcomes customers. “We love people to come,” said Nell Friedman, who owns the shop with her rabbi husband, Chaim. Customers can also shop online, and there’s even curbside pickup.

A warning: it may take some time to navigate. “We have an amazing selection,” Friedman said, “from standard Hanukkah candles at $ 2.99 to beeswax taper candles at $ 29.95.” Beeswax is particularly popular, she added. “It is a renewable resource, it burns cleanly and has a beautiful glow.” She also sells a beeswax candle making kit for children (or adults who want to make their own).

If paraffin wax, a petroleum product, is your preference, there are plenty of choices – from standard white to blue and white, rainbow, aqua and purple.

Alternatively, if you’re up for something completely different, try oil cups with cotton wicks. “It’s one of my favorite things to turn people on,” Maghel-Friedman said. “You can even use olive oil from your kitchen. It’s a soft, warm glow, and you can control how long you want it to glow depending on how much oil you put in it.

She carries an oil starter kit, or the items can be purchased separately. “We like to show people how to do it,” said Maghel-Friedman, whose shop is closed on Mondays and Saturdays. For more information call (510) 655-1977 or go to afikomen.com.

In Contra Costa County, the Isaiah Women’s Gift Shop, at the Isaiah Temple in Lafayette, is open by appointment only, and only on Sundays, with online purchases on its website. But Kim Drucker, who pretty much manages on his own, will go the extra mile for clients.

“If people call me, I will meet them and deliver to Lafayette, Moraga and the Orinda region. I just drive and leave it on their doorstep.

Our buyer is Israeli. She brought home a whole suitcase.

She’s a volunteer who really takes her job seriously. “I’m trying to beat Amazon,” she said. “It’s my life!”

Although some candles are already sold out, the selection remains wide. “We have a lot of beautiful candles from Tsfat,” Drucker said. “Our buyer is Israeli. She brought home a “whole suitcase” of candles for the store.

Proceeds benefit Jewish education programs in the Isaiah Temple community and beyond. The store is run by volunteers, and Drucker took over in 2008. “I’ll do it until I can’t anymore,” she said. To reach her, leave a message at the temple office at (925) 283-8575.

At the Osher Marin JCC in San Rafael, the Women of Rodef Sholom Judaica Gift Shop is well prepared to fill the menorahs, said buyer Ingrid Tolson. “We have a good supply of candles on hand,” she said, noting that the store “had stocked up ahead” just in case.

Among the many options: textured, silver, decorative candles; multicolored candles from Tsfat; honeycomb beeswax candles; and organic vegetable wax candles. You can even find pink “Chanukah for a Cause” candles, with a portion of the proceeds going to Sharsheret, a national non-profit organization that supports women and families facing breast and ovarian cancer.

The store also offers a plethora of Hanukkah items, even Hanukkah suits, Tolson said. Profits from sales at the store, which is closed on weekends, benefit sorority programs and the entire community of Congregation Rodef Sholom. For hours and other information, visit the website or call (415) 640-7868.

In Petaluma, B’nai Israel Jewish Center Gift Shop Hanukkah hours from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., but only until November 19. To arrange in-person purchases or for additional inquiries, visit the website or call manager Erica Stuart at (707) 762-0340.

In Santa Rosa, there is “a huge supply of candles – regular, tapers, different colors,” Denise Harrison told Shomrei Torah Congregation, where a small store near the temple office is managed by office staff. It’s only open about 20 hours a week, including around religious school hours, but employees have a key. Call (707) 578-5519 for details.

In Palo Alto, the Oshman Family TCG promises to have candles for sale at reception in Building A. Call (650) 223-8700 for details.

Somewhere else, Mollie Stone’s Markets offers Hanukkah candles in each of its nine stores in the Palo Alto Bay area in Sausalito. Piedmont grocery store and Rockridge Market Hall, both located in Oakland, also feature Hanukkah candles.

Places you might not expect to find Hanukkah candles also sell them, like Bed bath and beyond (in store and online) and Anthropology (Online only).

And don’t forget to check out the mom-and-pop stores in your neighborhood: even the little ones Fairfax variety has Hanukkah candles, both wax and beeswax.