Hate candles, unless they are the purely utilitarian kind.
We have one of those independent all purpose hardware stores in my shopping town. I know they would have candles there because of the number of times I have gone there looking for something arcane in the household way that I have been unable to find anywhere else - and found it.
I always have candles at home. We have had several houses where power cuts were a regular occurence, including the first ten years we lived in our current home, so I am always prepared.
Before electricity, the reason big rooms had chandeliers was to increase the light from candles by bouncing the light off the crystal drops.