Today we’d like to introduce you to Matt Mewbourne.
Matt, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Rekindle started as a desire to get back into art. In high school I did ceramics for three years and took a break going into college. Sometime my junior year I had the itching to get back into it. At the same time, I had started burning a lot of candles. One night while I was studying God gave me the idea to put two and two together. After talking with some of my community they all seemed excited about the idea of buying unique handmade ceramic containers filled with candles that they could either reuse as a coffee mug or planter, or they could get it refilled at a discount.
Since then we’ve expanded into different containers such as glass and tin can candles but still offer our refill program. The tin can candle are one of our favorite lines of product. We upcycle cans from local homeless organizations and donate a dollar per container. It doesn’t matter if they paid 0.59¢ or 0.79¢ for the food can we still give them a dollar for each container donated to us. This helps provides funds to these organizations and continue to support those in need in Athens.
We’ve also expanded into match bottles, reed diffusers, and Candle Boxes which you can buy as a gift bundle. What hasn’t changed is our mission. We seek make to candles with a purpose: candles for the planet, candles for the people.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
There’s been a lot of trials in owning and running a business. In the beginning there was a lot of testing and using customer feedback to make a better product. As we improved our products, we felt comfortable selling at the Athens Farmers Market. Since I was in school and doing clinical rotations, I spent many Friday nights up till 3 or 4 am making candles for the Saturday farmers market, which I had to wake up around 6 am for.
After graduation and having worked the farmers market for a couple years we felt confident in our business enough to open an actual brick + mortar. After looking around Athens and becoming disappointed in the steep rent prices God opened a door. Through five different divine encounters we found ourselves in Monroe. And while this might come across as a big leap a faith to open a brick + mortar store in an economy that’s transition to mostly digital shopping God just seemed to gift us with this opportunity so we were excited to embark on the journey of running a store.
Since the opening last August (2019) we’ve moved all the operations out of the kitchen and into our shop where we have a retail space, production space and candle making class space. Over the past year I’ve learned a lot about customer service, improving our products even more, shipping products, teaching people to make candles, and simply selling our products.
We’d love to hear more about your company.
We’re a candle company that makes candles with a purpose. Our mission is to positively impact the community we live in as well as the planet we live on. We work hard to make sure our customers have a great experience with our products. From candles to reed diffusers to match bottles we do what we can to give you a quality aromatherapy experience you feel proud of because you supported good causes with your purchase.
We’re proud to help promote sustainability through refills and recycling as well as support homeless organizations in our community. Every time you light your candle you can remember the positive impact you’ve had.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was a pretty introverted kid. I didn’t have a lot of friends and got bullied in school. When I started college at the University of Georgia, I decided to change that. I became very outgoing and met a lot of people. I finally felt like somebody and that I mattered.
After a year of this I realized I was being someone I wasn’t. I truly come to life in one on one or small group settings. I like getting to know someone intentionally rather than just at a base level which I feel more empowered at when the social setting is smaller.
During my time at UGA I got more into the outdoors and started hiking and road tripping a lot. This is evident by the 78 stickers on my car. Stickers remind me of memories I’ve had and the people I’ve met which is one reasons we’ve had business stickers from the get go.
One thing hasn’t changed since childhood and that’s my affinity for video games. I love playing FIFA, Destiny, Call of Duty, you name it. It’s been really cool getting know people from all over the planet through this simple, fun interface and is yet another way I can have intentional relationships with people.
Pricing:
- 8oz soy wax wood wick candle – $20
- 12oz soy wax wood wick candle – $28
- 8oz reed diffuser – $20
- 45 count safety match bottle – $18
- Monthly Candle Subscription – $30
- Quarterly Candle Subscription – $45
- Rekindle Candlebox – $38
- Premium Rekindle Candlebox – $50
Contact Info:
- Address: 109 N Broad St
Monroe, Ga 30655 - Website: rekindlecandle.co
- Email: hello@rekindlecandle.co
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rekindlecandle.co/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hellorekindlecandleco/
Image Credit:
Kayley Lorraine Photography
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