Hello from Melts from the Potting Shed
Long overdue, comes my first Blog for Melts from The Potting Shed. If you’re new here, thanks for following my journey!
For those that don’t know, I was a candlemaker for 13 years, but following a back injury, rising rent, utility and material costs, I made the decision to close this company at the end of 2024. Having worked for myself, I couldn’t anticipate going back to an office, so, taking my experience as a candlemaker, I decided to launch a melts only company, MFTPS was born.
My melts are made by me (and only me) from my kitchen table in a small village outside Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk. They are made of a rapeseed and coconut wax (different to the soy blend I used for candles) and it’s taken a while to get used to this different material, however, now, I love it!
I offer up to 34 fragrances at any one time and release new fragrances 2 or 3 times a year as the seasons dictate. My melts come adorned with beautiful botanical toppers, which not only look gorgeous, but serve a purpose in identifying them, especially useful when it comes to the legal blurb that has to come with every purchase. I offer pick n mix boxes where you can choose your own 10 melts, or pre-packed giftsets where I’ve done the work for you. I also have a great choice of box sleeves that suit most occasions, from birthdays, house moves, thank you’s and many more.
I am, and always will be, primarily a market trader and I want to address a couple of points that are raised at each and every market and explain my rationale behind my decision making process.
Why don’t you stock shops?
When I made candles, wholesale was a large part of my business, but it’s a stressful part. You work incredibly hard to service these shops, making very little profit on the item, with them often making more than me. Then, you often have to wait many weeks, or months to be paid, tying up cash, which, for a small business, is always hard.
Wholesale suits lots of companies, and some primarily choose this route. Scaling up, it works, but to scale up, you need lots of cash in the bank to see you through – that’s not something I have and it is also quite a lonely way to trade in my opinion.
You often never meet these shop owners, it’s all done remotely, and whilst you may build a rapport online and on the phone, it’s not the face-to-face trade that I enjoy. Whilst I don’t lack ambition, I’m in a different era of my life. I’ve done the larger scale business and now I want to enjoy a more personal approach, where provenance plays a significant role. I’ve managed to get back under the VAT threshold, meaning I can charge a sensible price for my product and that’s always been vital to me. In addition, markets are my happy place. They’re damn hard work being out in all weathers, but getting to know my customers is important and I trade with some of the nicest people you’ll meet, many who have become good friends. There’s also no better way of getting feedback than hearing it direct from the horses mouth!
Why don’t you do subscription boxes?
This again, comes down to size. There’s me, and only me (although I have some help with behind the scenes activities like box making and packing). Subscriptions require more than one pair of hands, not just for the making, but the printing, the packing and despatch. I’m not geared up to that, and without taking the next jump and going back into a studio, it’s simply not practical.
So, just as we approach school holidays, Christmas 25 has already started at Casa Jo. My kitchen, although registering over 24 degrees, is constantly smelling of cinnamon, clove, orange and berries. It’s not my favourite I have to say…..give me a Bergamot & Ginger production line and I’m in my element.
I will be launching 7 Christmas fragrances in October, 4 newbies and 3 oldies. There will also be a pre-packed Festive giftbox and some gorgeous WITH LOVE FROM SANTA boxes for you to pick n mix your own – perfect for Secret Santas. More on that later in the year.
Fragrance is so individual. What one loves, another hates. It’s important that I try to satisfy every genre, although I do often find myself ordering samples that suit my nose, and then realising that I’m creating a top heavy menu of earthy, woody fragrances!
Being a small business I am always open to ideas and requests, so please do feel free to reach out to me. My diary has been updated and I have a couple of lovely Summer events coming up, then we’re into Q4 and no sleep! Do pop by and say hello, even if you don’t want to purchase anything, there’s nothing I love more than a good chat.
I’ll try to update this blog regularly, and provide some behind the scenes pics and videos as and when I can.
Thank you for supporting me in this new venture.
Jo x
