Shoppers have been promised an immersive experience different to anything else on the high street when a candle shop upgrades its premises.
The Wandering Bee has enjoyed great success since being set up by Beth Warren during the Covid pandemic when she decided she was unhappy in her job at a dentist surgery.
Her candles – handcrafted from beer bottles – have been stocked by the likes of John Lewis, Chester Zoo and the World of Wedgwood and her journey has seen her have two pop-up shops on London’s Oxford Street.
Beth, who gave up her fulltime job within six months of starting the business in February 2021, opened her shop on Adies Alley in Stone in September 2022 but is preparing to move to new premises on Stone’s High Street next month.
“To say we are working on top of each other is an understatement,” Beth said. “We have completely outgrown the space that we have.
“Our new shop will allow us to create more, offer more and sell more.
“It will be an immersive experience where people can see the products being made like nothing else that is already on the high street.”
The Wandering Bee has a core range of eight scents with a new, limited-edition scent released each month. It also sells items such as reed diffusers, propagation stations and terrariums.
The new shop, which is taking the place of fashion boutique Something Different, will have larger selfcare and plant sections with products including planters made out of beer bottles and hydro-herbs, a way of growing herbs without the need for soil.
Beth, who has three members of staff and almost 10,000 followers across Facebook and Instagram, added: “We have been on such a journey since starting out in my kitchen and quickly having to turn it into a mini warehouse space for all the candles.
“I started out by Googling the top 10 most profitable business ideas but, being a perfectionist, I didn’t want to make any old scented candle – I wanted something really different.
“The idea to use beer bottles came from my partner because Covid meant there were shortages in the supplies of candle glass.
“The online business went crazy but then the money stopped coming in. That is when I threw the last bit of cash into opening the shop, which has turned the business around.
“We have an incredible customer base, and I think they like the fact that I talk open and honestly about the business.
“I think I have a knack for scents, but I have also developed a real passion for my products and being sustainable and sourcing ethical ingredients is really important to us.”
Beth uses locally sourced glass beer bottles from businesses such as Lunar by Niall Keating at Barlaston’s World of Wedgwood and Staffordshire Brewery, based in Cheddleton.
The new shop has a target open date of 30 March.
