We are proud to announce that our candles are to be stocked at illustrious destination store and social space, Selfridges, on London’s fabulous Oxford Street.
What a long way we’ve come from the days of selling at Sunday markets and craft fairs.
You may know a little about the background to our business, how Richard became obsessed with making candles when he was just a bright young thing. In fact, we recently came across a photo of some of his early efforts which he was selling, age 13, at the North Devon Show.
Even then, Richard had a near-obsessive dislike of waste, which is why he worked so hard to come up with ways of recycling any spent candles or waste wax. He was determined not to add to landfill when he was sure he could reuse the wax. And this determination paid off!
His journey in life took him to London where he studied drama, with dreams of treading the boards. And to support his student endeavours, he continued to make and sell candles at Sunday markets.
His room was always awash with bits of wax and lots of raffia (for a while there, Richard had a thing about raffia).
Enter Sargon, whose flair for contemporary design resulted (eventually) in the ditching of raffia, and the introduction of smart new branding. Together, Richard and Sargon took the concept of recycled candles from a Sunday market trade to a viable business proposition rooted in its support of the environment.
A little older than us, the doors to Selfridges first opened in 1909 – you may have watched the ITV series ‘Mr Selfridge’ which dramatized the events of the store, founded by entrepreneur Harry Gordon Selfridge. The whole premise of this upmarket department store was to be a landmark destination and it’s been named ‘Best Department Store in the World’ an impressive four times.
For such a massively successful commercial enterprise, it’s fantastic to discover that Selfridges has a real commitment to sustainability. In fact, in August 2020, the business launched Project Earth. This “… sets out our vision to reinvent retail and change the way we shop and how we do business. Built on three themes – transitioning to more sustainable materials, exploring new business models and challenging mindsets”.
Our friends know we absolutely love working with small independent retailers across the UK. We have the same philosophy, to bring beautiful, ethical, original products to market. But it’s also great to know that we have a synergy with larger retailers too. After all, the more businesses who make a commitment to sustainability, the better.
Maybe we’ll see you on Oxford Street soon!
