A warm breakfast at IHOP helped ignite two students’ business idea.
Wick and Wax Lincoln is a local candle business run by juniors Drew Hughes and Stephen Miriovsky.
“Here at Wick and Wax, we carefully craft our candles and sell them by hand,” Miriovsky said.
The idea, process, business and name came together over an early IHOP breakfast and long conversation in Miriovsky’s basement.
“Steve and I were sitting enjoying a meal at the local IHOP,” Hughes said. “Steve helped me realize my passion for making candles. He had a flare for business, and we paired the two together.”
With the business and candle making aspects down, the two just needed a name.
“We chose our name Wick and Wax Lincoln from a list of names generated by Snapchat AI,” Miriovsky said.
The two then acquired their materials and planned out the steps.
“First we start off by measuring out soy wax depending on the candle’s size,” Miriovsky said.
Next the wax is melted down to 200 degrees and a precise amount of fragrance oil is added. The ingredients are then mixed and set out to cool at 185 degrees.
“After that we heat up the jars, we add more wax and let it marinate for a day,” Miriovsky said.
Once the duo had their candles, they needed a way to sell their product. The two brought their product to the halls and sold them by hand.
Along with in-person sales, that the two made their own website using a pre-existing template.
“When making our website we utilized a program called Wixs,” Miriovsky said. “We put our info on the template and chose a look that we liked.”
Pictures of candles and vivid descriptions can be found at www.wickandwaxlincoln.com.
To help sell even more of their product, the duo hired their good friend, junior Sam Reif.
“I started selling boxes weekly partly because I earn commissions,” Reif said. “The main reason I work for Drew is because he’s one of my good friends and I want to see him and his business succeed.”
Hughes stated how they had quick success and hope to sell at the farmers market later on.
A small crowd and pleasant smells can be seen in various classrooms when a new box is ready.
Wick and Wax Lincoln has many different scents with an always expanding inventory.
Their products are also sold locally at “Ideal Protein with Penny”.
“We stopped in at local businesses with samples and asked if they would be kind enough to stock our products,” Hughes said.
Miriovsky stated that he hopes to be able to have multiple stores carry their candles in the future.
“Our current best sellers are Island Getaway, Warm Vanilla Sugar and Champagne Poetry,” Hughes said.
Originally, only scents of Lavender Dream, Lemon Oak Bliss and Eucalyptus Spearmint were available. Now the market has evolved to include several hits.
To boost sales, limited time custom commissioned candles are sold.
“We have both request and freestyle scents,” Hughes said. “Every candle starts out as a unique idea.”
When making limited edition candles, special scents and ingredients not found in the regular products are used.
The same crafting process as other candles is used, but with a new creative twist.
Limited candles came to be via a special request from Reif.
“The first custom candle we sold was Hotline Bling based off the Drake song,” Hughes said. “We did our best to capture the vibe and energy of the song and match it to the candle. The result was very finished and had a cologne-like scent.”
Custom candles cost $2 more than their regular counterparts. The price of regular candles varies in size, $15 for 10oz and $25 for 18oz.
Several customers have said that they were satisfied with more than just the price.
“I bought a 10oz Champagne Poetry,” junior Nick Phelan said. “It smelled delicious reminding me of a warm summer’s night.”
Phelan also felt that Wick and Wax was very professional, making quality products and easy transaction.
While the idea originally started out as a mere joke, it has grown into something more.
“I have learned many skills like advertising and business management,” Hughes said. “This has impacted me and Steve a lot, turning my hobby into a profitable business for both of us.”
Hughes is excited to see what the future holds for Wick and Wax.
“I’m eager to sell at the farmers market,” Miriovsky said. “That might give us to chance to expand to more stores and who knows, maybe even further than that someday.”
