It has been almost nine months since Wick and Wax Lincoln lit fuse, and in that time, the company has seen much growth.
One of seniors Drew Hughes and Stephen Miriovsky’s original goals was to earn a vendor’s spot at the farmers market over the summer, but this did not happen.
“We did not end up selling at the farmers market because we couldn’t raise enough money at the time,” Hughes said. “The reason we didn’t get in was the upfront cost of $1000 for a spot.”
To add to this setback, their online sales decreased heavily over the summer due to the duo’s busy schedules.
While for most this would have been a deterrent, for the candle-making duo, it drove them to look at alternative options.
With a decline in digital sales, the duo looked at what their issue could have been and how they could improve. They concluded that their limited products, simplistic website and reach were the three biggest things to work on.
“One of our goals when starting out was to capture the world of fragrance and that doesn’t just deal with candles,” Hughes said. “We’re hoping to expand to more, to make every home smell like a dream.”
The first step of that expansion came in the form of small customizable car diffusers.
“Our diffusers have done very well, we’ve sold over 300 since launching them this summer,” Hughes said.
The website was already due for renovations, and the introduction of diffusers finally gave them the motivation to take on the tedious task.
Miriovsky updated wickandwaxlincoln.com to be more user friendly and appealing. It now contains the expanded inventory of new scents along with diffusers and will soon receive updated pay settings.
After checking off two of out of three improvements, all that remained was improving the business’ reach.
“We sold face to face and at local craft fairs,” Miriovsky said.
While it wasn’t the farmers’ market, the duo made the most of their situation and outsold their competition at almost every fair they attended.
Selling at craft fairs allowed them to see their competition and how they can be better.
“Wax Buffalo is our biggest local competitor, we were appalled at the fact that they did not actually hand pour their candles,” Miriovsky said. “It’s false advertising that tarnishes the hand-poured candle image. They charge $27 for car fresheners and we charge $7 for a similar if not better product.”
This shocking discovery reinforced the two’s fundamental principles of quality handmade goods and inspired them to make their methods more effective.
“We managed to cut down on waste and our margins have improved,” Miriovsky said.
Hughes enthusiastically added how they have bands in the bank.
After making hundreds of candles, the duo realized a smaller number of regular scents and seasonal scents were a better business plan.
The most recent fair they attended was North American Martyrs’ October craft fair, where they premiered their first seasonal collection, The Fall Line.
“The Fall Line consisted of three scents: Baked Champagne Apple, Baked Apple and Cider Lane,” Hughes said. “Our goal was to go with untraditional, yet still recognizable scents.”
While relatively new, Hughes feels that they have been received and sold well, which drove the two to eventually release The Winter Line.
“The new candles are cute and smell good,” attendance secretary Jamie Jakub said.
Jakub was proud to admit that she was an “OG” fan, having bought her first candle almost one year ago.
“I’m really proud of their entrepreneurial spirit,” Jakub said. “I’m very impressed with their forward thinking of trying to sustain the business, moving on to supplying churches in the future.”
When Hughes and Miriovsky discovered a lack of Catholic themed home candles, they wanted to branch out and fill the absence.
“We wanted to do something spiritual, and St. Michael the Archangel was our response,” Miriovsky said.
The St. Michael candles were the first edition to their new pascal collection and are labelled with a signature picture of the archangel, coming scented in cedarwood and amber.
“We make St. Michael candles differently from the rest,” Hughes said. “They are still hand poured with passion, but are made with recycled alter wax, so it’s a blessed candle.”
With an idea as unique as this, the duo was quick to meet with Bishop James Conley about the possibility of working out a contract with local churches.
While that goal is in the near future for the two, the fate of their business after high school remains unsure.
“My future goal is to expand within the whole state of Nebraska and potentially across America,” Miriovsky said. “I would also like to hopefully supply all the churches within range with our new pascal candles.”
While their post high school plans are up in the air, the two still have months to decide.
“After high school it will depend on where I go to college because running the business from out of state would be a tough challenge,” Hughes said. “No matter what our future is, we aim to keep creating scents for everyone to enjoy.”
