Family-owned Air and Filters makes good scents

Clean air that smells good creates a winning combination that Sandra Taylor and her family have turned into a successful enterprise. After 15 years in the business, Air and Filters has two locations in Corpus Christi where customers can find any filter they need for any air-conditioning unit as well as Circle E Candles. In fact, Air and Filters offers every single scent manufactured by the Fredericksburg company.
“People who came in to buy filters kept asking how to make the house smell better,” said Jenny Remlinger, one of Taylor’s two daughters who run the business with their mother. “Mom researched and found Circle E Candles, and they are really good candles. It’s been a huge seller for us.”
After years in the banking industry, Taylor decided on a career change. She got a job as bookkeeper at Neal Air and Heat. The company’s owner soon asked her to help his wife open a filter store. After a few years, Taylor bought the business in a gamble that has since paid off — but not until after a lot of hard work and years of effort. 
She enlisted the help of the rest of her family. Besides her two daughters, a son-in-law and a nephew also work for the company. 

PRIME PRODUCTS

While some Air and Filters customers come in for the quality filters as others shop for candles, a good portion of them come in for both, Remlinger said. The products have each proven so successful that the family opened a second store on the Southside by popular demand. That location, 5206 Williams Drive, has since become the main store. The original store, 1620 South Padre Island Drive, Suite 180, is still open as well.
While Remlinger promotes the business, her sister Alyse Gonzalez serves as filter expert. She has learned the business from the ground up and can help customers find just the right filter for their homes or offices. 
“Allergies are the main thing people are concerned about,” she said. “We sell filters for all the pesky things that bother you. We have filters that will get a lot of the smaller things out of the air that would still be there with a regular filter.” 
With the weather warming up, air conditioners are being put back into service. New filters should be on the top of every Corpus Christi shopping list to keep air cooler and electric bills down, Gonzalez suggested.
“When you have a dirty filter, the air can’t work through the dirt buildup,” Gonzalez said. “When the air has a hard time getting through, your unit works harder to push it through, it takes longer to cool the house and you use more electricity as your unit works harder.”
Dirty filters also threaten the functionality and lifespan of the air-conditioning equipment. 
“Air pushing through a dirty filter knocks off the super-fine dust and puts dirt on your equipment,” Gonzalez said. “It builds up directly on the coils and clogs your drip line. That runs up your electric bill and creates a lot of wear and tear on your unit.” 
Although the better filters cost more, they are still cheaper than replacing a unit or paying unreasonably high electric bills, she continued.
Along with the Circle E Candles, Air and Filters also sells products that freshen air directly from the AC unit. Filter Fresh is attached to the filter, filling rooms with a soft scent every time the air clicks on. 
For particularly smelly areas, such as laundry rooms or pet areas, Air and Filters sells bad-air sponges that soak up odors. Other products, such as drain and coil cleaners and Slime Out, are also available. 
Circle E Candles are customer favorites, Remlinger said. Made in Texas, they put out a strong, lingering fragrance that permeates the entire room. They burn even and clean and last a long time, she said.
“You don’t just smell it when you walk by,” she said. “You smell it in the entire room.”
As much pride as they have in their products, the three women practically gleam when talking about their family business. 
“We are proud to be a family-owned business,” Remlinger said. “It’s a pleasant atmosphere here, and people love being here. We track our customers’ needs, we keep their filter sizes in stock. They can pull up to the building, and we are ready with what they need. We offer a fast, friendly and convenient service.”
“We are happy to help them,” Gonzalez said. “That’s what makes us happy.” 
To contact Air and Filters at 1620 South Padre Island Drive, call (361) 855-1123. To reach the location at 5206 Williams Drive, call (361) 723-0130. Find our more about Air and Filters online at airandfilters.com.