From Kitchen Counter to Comic-Con: The Story of Moth & Magpie

We absolutely love the name of your brand. Can you tell us the meaning and story behind it?

So I originally started up the business with my friend and at the time I was Moth because I was always talking about photography, talking about the light, golden hour, you know, I couldn't shut up about how nice the light was. So I was affectionately referred to as Moth and then my friend was Magpie. They were always getting distracted by shiny things. As the business evolved, I took it on by myself and so now I like to think of Moth being the sort of flickering freelance flame, representing the candle making side, the fashion creativity, and the Magpie being the design-based graphics and visual side.

The concept of the business came before the home fragrance side of things. I grew up on the convention scene, Comic-Cons, and I really wanted to be a part of that environment. And so a friend and I came up with the idea for a business, we'll do, I don't know, jewellery, sort of fan art type things, everything geeky. And then I sort of came up with the concept of character inspired candles. And I've always been super attuned to scent.

Where do you usually trade? Is it online or do you have a physical presence?

So I have an online shop. Most of my sales come through in-person events. So I do so many different types of events. I travel all over the country. I do a lot of Comic-Cons, sort of bigger scale events. I've been doing trade shows recently, just last weekend, I was doing a coffee festival, which was fantastic. So yeah, I'm trying to sort of diversify my events calendar this year, hitting different markets. Loads of in-person events. I think when it comes to candles, because they're so tactile, people like to experience them first. So my online sales sort of follow up usually. I have some consistent customers who found me at a Comic-Con and now order online. I also do wholesale now as well.

The event side of things is super interesting, can you tell me more about it?

So yeah, I originally just started doing just Comic-Cons and I think I did my first one in 2021. It was just a little one, sort of off in Loch Lomond. But yeah, it went really well. There's a really good creative community at these events as well, so it's not just things like candles, it's a lot of fan art and homemade produce and things.

But yeah, so I recently started to diversify my calendar a bit, Pride events, coffee festivals, independent markets, night markets, alternative events. Because I tend to sort of fit into a slightly less... I'm a bit more niche, a bit more colourful, a little bit more out there. So I like to try and handpick my events quite carefully. When it's not the Comic-Cons, it's something a little bit edgy, a bit out there.

What is your best seller or USP?

I've got a bit of a weird one because it very much depends on who I'm selling to. So for my Main Street collection, the coffee shop tends to be the best seller, and from that, probably my caramel macchiato candle. Whereas something like the library section, this goes really well at Comic-Cons, but also at night markets and independent events, so the enemies to lovers has been a bestseller for years.

What's your goal for this year?

So I'd like to focus more on wholesale. I started that up last year and it's been really, really good for the growth of the business. Last year was a big year for growth. So I kind of want to focus on personal financial stability this year and making sure that my time is compensated fairly, as well as just putting everything I have into the business.

How have things changed from when you started out to now?

So when I first started coming to Candleshack, it must have been back in about 2022. It was just little tiny boxes and I'd roll up and I'd see Leslie in my little car, I was actually learning to drive at the time. So Candleshack sort of stood out, I've seen me through a lot of stages of my life already. But yeah, now I'm rocking up with my van, getting almost pallet loads, loading them into the back to take to the workshop. So yeah, it's been a lot.

Where did you start off? Did you start at home and then grew into your own space?

So I actually started off in my parents' kitchen. I was constantly fighting for space, my family are a little bit of hoarders. So, you know, I was always like, can I please have the kitchen tonight so I can make, you know, sort of 12 candles and pour them individually one by one after dinner. But I knew that was not sustainable for the long term. So I moved into a workshop space, it was March 2024, I want to say, at Stirling Enterprise Park, which is absolutely fantastic.

The original space that I had was good for what it was, but it was a big concrete box with no windows. So I was very lucky in that another spot opened up last year and we moved into this absolutely lovely space with windows and a big industrial sink. And it's been absolutely fantastic to have that space that I can be completely in control of.

Being able to plan ahead for stock has been really helpful, because the stock files on Facebook, that is absolutely magical, because I make a lot of things and I don't give myself a lot of time to make a lot of things. I put quite harsh deadlines on myself. So being able to know that you guys have such quick turnaround and you're so local to me, I can get things when I need them, which is absolutely fantastic.

What would you say to someone thinking about starting a candle business?

Do your research. Check all your recipes. There's a lot more to candle making than you think, there is a lot of science behind it. Make sure that you don't just throw yourself in the deep end, which is what I did. And actually, check that everything you're making is up to standard and make sure everything has a clean burn, and make sure you know what you're talking about, because people will ask you questions and you need to know what you're talking about.

What is one product you're especially proud of?

I really like my apothecary range, this is one of my potions-inspired range. This was inspired by growing up really into fantasy worlds. It's a little bit more niche, a little bit nerdy, a little bit fantasy based, but it means I can be a little bit more conceptual with things and be a little bit more creative.

So looking to Christmas, what was your bestseller last year?

So I did a little range called The Winter Wonderland, which was sort of my take on a classic Christmas collection. And it was sort of immersive scent. So I had The North Pole, which was a gingerbread scent, and I had Santa's Sneezing, which was sort of mulled wine, and Midnight's Day Ride, which was the Nordic cedar scent from Counter-Strike, which is such a lovely scent by the way. That one's been really popular. So yeah, I sort of did my own take on a bit of Christmas, classic Christmas scents. I wanted to get some more of your classic Christmas scents as well as some slightly more subtle ones as well.

Do you do any sort of Christmas-specific markets?

So December's usually a bit of a weird one for me because I find my busiest season is sort of September, October, because that's candle season, but it's also when the Comic-Cons really ramp up as well. So I find that I usually focus online for December. I do a lot of Black Friday, sort of business Saturday weekend, Cyber Weekend, whatever, what have you. Yeah, I'll do local events during December, but nothing huge scale at the moment. We'll see how this year turns out.

Do you have any Christmas scents that sell all year round?

So I do use a couple of the classically Christmas scents for my Comic-Con range. I have the Nordic Cedar, which I use as part of my Hunger Games collection. So that is a real crowd pleaser all year round.