Hello my darlings!
I'm finally getting around to writing my first blog - I don't know why it's so nerve-wracking! I don't sit down and write much anymore, so let's see how we get on!
I thought for my first edition of Moodie News, I'd start with a little get to know me! So first lets get introductions out of the way...
My names Jodie, I'm the 32 year old Owner/Designer/Chief mess maker at The Moodie Store! With a Veterinary degree, Fashion diploma, RADA graduate and all round daydreamer, I'm a jack of all trades and master of none type!
BUT this business is my baby that I first started in 2021 but it looked very different back then...
Working day-to-day as a fashion designer for a high street brand and previously as a clothing buyer, I dreamt of having my own boutique business full of gorgeous homeware and pretty jewellery! It didn't quite work out that way...I found that sourcing items to sell on just wasn't doing it for me...I needed to be more creative!
That's when the first candle idea came about! Pretty, pastel stoneware jars, refillable, unique and a great design piece. After months and months of testing different materials, I'd dealt with tons of breakage, jars that would split in half as they were drying and unpredictable results! But FINALLY I landed on the perfect design and material! I launched them on my birthday in 2022 and that's where my candle journey first started and what I really count as the business truly launching.
Then came wax melts, still a newish addition to the wax market, I was STUNNED when I first tried them! Super powerful fragrances, long-lasting and easy to use - I WAS HOOKED!
Halloween 2022 was my first market launch, I was super nervous but excited. I had everything laid out and ready, from Ghoul Gang candles to pumpkin shaped wax melts. It went...ok-ish. The location was a bit off, I was cash only and it was one of the HOTTEST days in September. But excuses aside, my stall also looked a bit lacking and I really struggled to talk to customers.
Taking a month away from the markets to re-group, I headed back in December, and boy was it COLD! But better! I did so many markets over Christmas of 2022, and it was OVERKILL! By the end I was exhausted, felt a bit down-trodden and was left asking myself if it was really worth it?
Re-grouping in January 2023 I started working on trying to attract wholesale clients to help keep me afloat and with the help of our Discoball candle, Moodie went GLOBAL! Okay, so it wasn't quite world domination...but I was getting wholesale orders from home boutiques in the US almost daily! It was a VERY BUSY few months but I was loving it, at this point I also offered a wide range on stone homeware too so it was messy work!
This is when chaos started to ensue, I was finding it increasingly tricky to continue making all of the stone pieces I needed(they took almost a week to complete), whilst pouring wax orders for my online customer and making sure they were getting the best service and product. I re-assessed what I really wanted my business to look like and decided that I needed to make sure my brand wasn't diluted by trying to do too much!
By this point I had introduced snap bars which were FLYING(and are still my best-seller), plus i'd started introducing glass jar candles and melt pots! So I made a tricky decision to say goodbye to the stoneware. Was I crazy to do it?! Probably, but it was causing so much stress, orders were going out late and I wasn't particularly proud of my business at the time!
Later on that year I received a MASSIVE white label wholesale order that gave me some new insights on how to work with different business. So there I was having HGVs turning outside my flat, delivering pallets of glass jars and waxes in the pouring rain, trying to haul them up two flights of stairs before the neighbours complained. Although this order gave me so many opportunities, ultimately I decided that white label was not for me. I almost felt like I was cheating on Moodie!
So now we're in 2024! I have a full range of re-designed melts and candles. The Babes have launched, Summer will be here very soon and I have new seasonal ranges planned until January 2025 and a couple of new, heavily requested, products that will be showcased VERY SOON! Moodie was always meant to be fun, colourful and different and that's the way she's going to stay!
Has it been easy sailing? NO. Have I damaged my own growth? ABSOLUTELY! Sometimes I think where I could be now if I'd stuck with my original designs, but all in all I am much happier and excited for the future of The Moodie Store! We've even got a new logo that aligns more with our vibe.
I can't say I'm perfectly happy with where I am, there are of course changes that still need to be made, upgrades to packaging and I definitely need to be more visible, but those things will come with time and hard work!
But for now, I just want to say thank you to each and every one of my customers. It really does mean so much to me that you choose to use my products and continue to shop with me! I promise I will always strive to give you the best product...and stick around because ITS ONLY JUST BEGUN!!
Until next time,
Love Moodie xx
P.S. I promise the next blog with be much shorter and a bit more fun!