Falmouth shop Kiandles turning waste wax into candles

The story of Kiandles actually began long before the shop itself.

Kia came to Falmouth to study Television at Falmouth University, originally imagining a career in children's TV.

But when graduation arrived, she realised there was one problem: she didn't want to leave Falmouth.

Instead, she stayed and spent several years managing Chintz, and it was there, in 2014, that the seed of an entirely different career was planted.

“I was scraping all this candle wax off the tables and just thought, surely I can do something with this?” Kia recalls.

She began experimenting with making candles as a hobby and, more than a decade later, that same idea remains at the heart of Kiandles.

Every one of Kia's candles is made using waste wax, collected from local bars and hotels or dropped into the collection box outside her shop.

Some of those businesses even receive the finished candles back, creating a brilliantly simple circular system.

Kiandles itself began as a creative collective in 2023, bringing together some of the artists and makers working from studios around the Old Brewery Yard.

The idea was that everyone would contribute to running the shop, but as the business developed, Kia gradually found herself at its helm.

In 2025, she took on the premises herself and made Kiandles her own.

Today, the space combines a shop with a working studio, and the creativity extends far beyond candles.

Kia loves playing with colour, shape and form, creating everything from shells and flowers to animals and body-shaped candles.

Customers can also bring in their own empty candle vessels to be refilled, choosing a new scent rather than throwing the container away.

And if you fancy getting hands-on yourself, quite literally, you can. Kia runs wax hand-dipping sessions and can even turn the finished wax hand into a plaster mould.

The original collective spirit hasn't disappeared either.

The shop showcases work from Cornish artists and makers, with prints, jewellery, clothing, cards, artwork and glass fusion pieces sitting alongside Kia's own creations.

Workshops, children's activities, birthday parties, work parties and Cocktails and Candles sessions have also turned Kiandles into much more than a traditional retail space.

There's plenty more planned, including a jewellery charm bar, candle painting, traditional candlestick making and, just in time for Halloween, the opportunity to create your own wonderfully creepy wax hand.

Kia is also the driving force behind the High Street's Christmas market, bringing neighbouring businesses together with makers and creatives from across Cornwall for a festive weekend on December 12 and 13.

Kia set up Kiandles in Falmouth as a way of using discarded candle wax. (Image: Falmouth BID)

After spending so much time establishing the shop, Kia's next ambition is refreshingly simple: she wants more time to make.

“I want to get back to being really creative with the candles and experimenting more,” she says.

And there's nowhere she'd rather be doing it than Falmouth.

Kia describes it as one of the few places that still feels genuinely colourful, not simply in how the town looks, but in its people.

“Falmouth people are colourful, bright, smiley and welcoming,” she says.

“People really go out of their way here to connect and create a sense of unity.”

In many ways, that could describe Kiandles too: colourful, creative, a little bit unexpected and built around the idea that something wonderful can happen when people and materials are brought together.

Visit its website or follow Kiandles on Instagram for the latest creations and the soon-to-be-announced programme of workshops.