Heather Neufeldt moved to Shanghai in 2010 with her husband and two daughters (now ages 11 and 13). Although the move was originally to accommodate a career opportunity for her husband, she has found herself doing a range of jobs over the years including writing as a featured columnist, teaching preschool and now, a small business owner.
Re-Kindled Candles was born almost three years ago out of coincidence. “I've made candles for years as a hobby and then I was asked to help out with a charity gala. I'm not great at planning or committee work so I volunteered to make candles for the gift bags. They were really well-received and my friends suggested I start selling them,” she explains.
The candles are handmade and completely eco-friendly, concentrating on clean burning, no-waste production and recycling. The wicks are even sealed with vegetable oil (both imported from the US) while the wax and vessels are from China – giving the candles a unique Asian look that appeals to Eastern and Western aesthetics.
“[My departure] is bittersweet, really. I feel like I want to do so much more, but I’m confident and very happy that I’ve left Re-Kindled in good hands
Currently at its busiest season of the year, Neufeldt receives a huge influx of the orders for Christmas markets and sometimes she finds it hard to keep up with the demand going to these four or five days per week. This is, however, one of the best ways to sell her candles. She also takes orders from WeChat, which gives her the ability to directly connect with her customers regularly and inform them of new upcoming products.
Although Neufeldt has put years of hard work into Re-Kindled, it is time to hand over the torch to new co-owners Posy Pearson and Lili Gleason. Ready for a change of pace, her family will be repatriating to a quiet farmhouse in Minnesota, “[My departure] is bittersweet, really. I feel like I want to do so much more, but I’m confident and very happy that I’ve left Re-Kindled in good hands.”
Pearson and Gleason are excited about their new endeavor saying, “We are delighted to be the new owners. Heather has developed a range of deliciously fragranced, high quality soy wax candles and we plan to continue in that tradition.”
Learn more at www.rekindled-candles.com, WeChat ID: HEN8102
