Why A Candle Making Supply Store in Macomb County?

In Marketing 101, we’re taught about the “4 P’s”, product, price, place and promotion and, that every successful business is solving a problem for its target market. So, when the opportunity to open a candle making supply store arose late in 2020, although it was something I wanted for the better part of several years, the big questions were “who is my target market” and “what problem(s) am I solving?”.

The answers to both questions came to me very easily. About 15 years ago, as a new mother, I started making soy candles and various bath and body products for my own enjoyment.  Soon after, I opened my Etsy shop and, for the past 12 years, my “side hustle” has been making custom labeled, hand-crafted lip balms, soy candles, lavender eye pillows and other bath and body products from the most natural ingredients I could get my hands on. My problem was everything I needed, to make my products, had to be ordered online because, there was no local supplier to conveniently drive to.

Having to rely on ordering my supplies online resulted in a number of problems, the biggest being the unreliable wait and increasingly high shipping rates. In other words, if I wanted to purchase a case of wax, that currently costs around $100, I would also have to factor a shipping fee of $25-$40, depending on where it’s coming from, into the pricing to my customer. Needing supplies quickly, to fulfill a rush order for a customer is another problem I encountered with online ordering as, aside from the “turnaround time”, there’s no telling if my order was going to arrive as scheduled or take 7-10 days longer because of the internal issues of the logistics companies.

Other frustrations I encountered with ordering supplies online is not knowing what a new fragrance oil is going to smell like until I receive it (I have dozens of rejected samples that add up to hundreds of wasted dollars) and, the lack of personalized customer service. With most of my suppliers, I often felt like they were doing me a favor by accepting my order and getting around to shipping it when it was convenient. I have never felt like a valued customer or business partner by any of my suppliers and, that, along with wanting to provide a support system for local candle, soap and bath and body makers, is what ultimately lead me to wanting to open my own candle making supply store.

Whether it’s a local customer or an ecommerce order, Silver Moon Bath and Spa Specialties, LLC aims to be more than just a candle making supplier. Knowing what it feels like to be a local artisan, without easily accessible resources and a support system, allows me to solve all of the problems mentioned above. So, to answer the question of “why a candle making supply store in Macomb County, Michigan?”, why NOT a candle making supply store in Macomb County? Silver Moon’s target markets are our local candle, soap and bath and body making artisans, who want their supplies in a hurry, want to smell the fragrances before buying and want a local support system and, our ecommerce customers who want prompt shipping and to feel like part of the team, regardless of how far away they may be. Our exciting sub-target markets will be explored in upcoming blogs.