SereFire Candles are made by artists for artists and creatives.
Each candle involves individual love, care, and creative focus. With that in mind, you will not find our firecraft on the shelves of major retailers. Big box stores are not our market; the creative needing unique inspiration is.
Sustainability
Our candles primarily made from wax collected from second-hand stores, family and friends, thus the term "SecondhandWax" (#secondhandwax). Use of secondhand wax makes candle creation and quality control challenging, as often it is difficult to fully remove original colors or scents from old, dusty, musty candles that have sat forgotten on shelves or in drawers for years. Ultimately, though, re-use of wax creates a sustainable and virtuous system whereby we're re-purposing candle wax that has been tossed aside. Through our process, we give old candles life again,
candles once true, twisted anew.
This sustainable process is also reflected in our recycling of wick sustainer tabs (those little metal anchors at the base of some candles, often covered up by labeling), covered in our upcoming "burn at both ends" blog. Removal of the sustainer creates end-to-end burnability for our candles, allowing the beholder to decide which end of the candle to burn (or both, depending on how adventurous you are).
Our ultimate goal is to create a candle experience that is consistent, artistic and inspirational from start to finish. We make every attempt to create a long-lasting glow that leaves little wax for you to deal with.
Your Participation
When I went back to my parent's house a couple of weekends ago, I discovered that they had a drawer full of old candles that they weren't sure what to do with. Borderline hoarders for years, they had kept partially-burned jar candles, taper candles and various other hulks of old wax that were taking up space and collecting dust. They were happy to unload the drawer of secondhand wax to resourceful hands.
They even donated their massive, pea-green Wedding pillar candle to my efforts. They were married in the early 70s, and the candle was a centerpiece in our living room for many years. In reality, it had only been burned a few times, and judging by the amount of dust, it hadn't been lit for some time. Eventually, the candle would've found its way to a thrift-store shelf and into someone's home.
Now, their box of candles -- including the Wedding candle -- have been recycled as part of the Terpsichore candle line,
a candle once true, twisted anew.
All donations of 5-10 lbs of wax will receive a #SecondhandWax 50% discount coupon toward the purchase of a SereFire candle. I'll give you this discount as often as you donate, so you get a free candle or two out of your efforts and your commitment to recycling. Unfortunately, we don't make enough to cover shipping for donations, and/or cover the cost of your donation; the best we can do is compensate you with our candle product. We appreciate your patience and commitment to an eco-friendly, sustainable process, and know you will understand the challenges and complexities of making a wax donation process work for all parties, including our planet.
Benefits of our SecondhandWax Product
- No two candles are alike. Every candle is a unique experience. The art of the candle is part of the allure -- the chaotic imperfections, the random colorings, layerings, additives.
- You're resourcing other artists. We don't get rich off making candles; while it may seem like a lucrative endeavor to melt old candles and make new ones, a lot of time and materials go into the creation of each candle. Your donation to our craft is greatly appreciated and allows us to keep creating.
- You're not supporting big business (or big churches). Most secondhand stores like Goodwill, Savers and the Salvation Army are supported by big-bank theocracies that purport to funnel the majority of their earnings back into the Community, but often very little goes back to aid the commonwealth. The Catholic Church/Vatican has the biggest secretive bank on the Planet, and doesn't need your help for charity (they should be giving candles away to people in need). In fact, they need more regulation. It pains us to purchase secondhand wax from places like this, and would prefer to partner with common folk for our wax sources. Every donation helps this effort.
- You're doing your part to help the environment. Rather than tossing your old candles into the trash because they've outlived their usefulness, give them to us, and we'll re-use as much of the candle as we can.
- You are part of the candlemaking process. By purchasing secondhand wax candles, and donating to our efforts, you are part of an artistic process that is centuries old, and have an influence on the creative fires of others. You have key role in the fire we create, and the passion SereFire Candles inspires.