HAPPY 2023
Hello and Happy New Year! I’ve been slowly getting back in the swing of things since the holidays. Kids are back in school and I’m ready to rock and roll. Slowly. I’m not one for resolutions, and I think new habits can start any time of year. But it is the time of year for goals. If I’m being really honest, goals have been really hard for me the past few years. After COVID times and an abrupt move, it just felt like there was no point of putting goals on paper. It may all just fall apart – what was the point. This melancholy is wearing off a bit, and I feel ready to put some pen to paper (while still holding things loosely and trusting God along the way).
2022 was a real weird year for e-commerce. I’ve heard this from several businesses, so I know it’s not just me, but it was hard to plan. Some sure-fire sales and seasons just didn’t come through like other years, some things that were just trails went really well. I think the economy is making things weird and everyone is still a little off from a tough year. So while I’m feeling ready for a few goals, it’s real tough to put numbers to it. Revenue took a hit in 2022 which means it’s time to get creative and stay scrappy.
Anyway, instead of goal setting I was thinking of setting a bit of vision here. What is the Vision for Roots & Wings Candles for 2023 (and why do you care)?
Three reasons why you should care:
- I’m laying out the direction we are headed (and I sure hope you’re with me because if I listened well, this is what you’ve been asking for)
- It gives a sneak peek about what is to come (think of this as your exclusive look).
- I don’t know about you, but I love behind the scenes. Pulling back the curtain if you will and seeing what goes on to make it all run. I hope you find this to be an interesting look into a home-made, home-run small business.
Wholesale (Tradeshow)
As January comes around, what you may not know is that store owners go “to market”. Markets (tradeshows) happen usually twice a year and it’s when a lot of the buying happens for gift shops. While I don’t feel ready for some of the bigger shows (these happen in Atlanta, Dallas, New York) I am going to be participating in a regional tradeshow here in Phoenix. Oasis is at the end of January and it’s a good way to get my feet wet into the industry of shows. This is where we display all of our candles available for the first half of the year, launch a catalog, and hopefully meet a lot of shop owners. This helps to get us organized and ready to present all of our new candles and collections to the world. Some of these new candles have been in the works for quite a while.
We have continued to grow our wholesale presence with more and more stores offering our candles (yay!). This is a continued focus this year, and especially at the first of the year when buying decisions are being made.
Retail (collaborations with other small businesses)
At the last few in person local markets this fall/winter I got to meet some really amazing small business owners. Creative people are my favorite kind of people so that is always a highlight of being out and about. I have some ideas on how to work with some of my creative friends to expand our product offering.
Here are a few ideas you’ve given me I’m going to try to make happen this year. Pottery – I met a fantastic lady locally who makes really beautiful pottery. I plan to collaborate with her to bring you some stoneware ceramic mugs (coffee mug candles!) and some other holiday inspired beautiful things. Soap/Body Care – I met another gal who makes clean soaps, lotions and skin care. She already uses some of the same fragrances that I use in candles and I think it would be super fun to collaborate with her on some new items/bundles for the shop. Stationary – We’ve also had a few requests to turn our candle artwork into notecards! I think our art lends itself really beautifully to notecards, and I don’t know about you, but I always love to have a few handy. Bringing you some printed products in 2023 is something Shelbey and I plan to work on.
New Cities/Locations
While 2022 was all about getting settled in AZ and launching our Arizona collection, this year we are branching out! We are launching our Massachusetts Collection next month and plan to add Colorado to our list this year as well. (If you are from or in CO – reach out! Send me some candle ideas!). The goal remains to expand slowly into new locations to create a really comprehensive brand nationwide. While we expand into NEW locations, we are also bringing new designs to the markets we already love and serve. Keep an eye out for 2 new Pittsburgh candles and 3 new Arizona candles available next month!
Being consistent with the candles we already offer is always a priority for us – as fun as it is to create NEW, it’s also great to have your original favorites always available for you.
Seasonal Collections
A few new updates to our seasonal collection coming your way this year.
- First, all new art! This set of artwork is my favorite yet. It’s a combination of watercolor and pen and it’s simply gorgeous. I cannot wait to see the new colors on our candles.
- We are retiring a few of our scents that just weren’t selling well and coming out with new fragrances that are updated, and fresh. Don’t worry, your favorites are coming back – this is just some updates to keep your home smelling good.
- We are combining our Spring/Summer Collection. Honestly, while summer scents were really fun to work on, they never sold well. I think summer is for traveling, exploring, being outside (or maybe being inside in AZ) but not always the time we think about to burn candles. We are bringing you 7 spring/summer scents in two different container options – lots to choose from that will last all season, I think you’ll love them.
Well, how does all that sound? Sounds like I’m going to be busy (lol). I hope you are excited about these things as I am. I know they are just candles, but more than that, I hope they are always a little package of beauty that brings you joy. Thank you for choosing to be here – I know you have lots of options out there. I appreciate you, and would love to hear any feedback or ideas you have along the way this year… I do my best to make ideas come to life!
