It was a Saturday in August when we unlocked the door of our small shop in Metternich for the first time – not as a workshop, but as a retail space. On the tables stood our recycled candles, and on the wall hung a hand-written sign: Wachswandel – Here Burns the Second Chance.
A Shopping Experience with a Story
When you buy a candle from us, you get more than a product. We tell you where the wax comes from, how it's sorted and melted down, and why every candle looks a little different. Customers love it – many come with questions, stay for a chat, and leave with a bag full of candles.
€1,500 on the First Day
We hadn't expected €1,500 in sales on opening day. Some customers bought candles for themselves, others as gifts right away. A few brought their own candle remnants and tossed them straight into our collection bin. It's exactly this cycle that drives Wachswandel.
The shop on Google Maps – Wachswandel Shop – has received its first reviews and is being found more and more often. For a social enterprise with no advertising budget, that's priceless.
