Last-minute holiday shoppers, rejoice: There’s a new gift shop opening this week at 50th & France. Founders Co., started by Excelsior Candle Co. owner Heidi Mueller, is a home base for local brands of all types, and well worth a spot on your radar.
Mueller, along with local brands B and D Custom Crafts and Mend Jewelry, used to have a Founders Co. shop in Southdale, where other Twin Cities artisans and lines could pop up and show their goods to a large shopping audience, in pre-pandemic times (remember those?). But after COVID forced the store to close, Mueller knew she wanted to get back into the brick-and-mortar game.
“I was always looking for a storefront,” she says—and recently found the perfect spot in Nolan Mains.
Excelsior Candle Co. will act as the anchor brand, but other brands will pop up and rotate through. First up? Worker B.’s beeswax skincare products, Kisa Boutique’s clothing and local-fave Turkish towels, Pour Decisions Candle Co., Siena Soap, and more. Local photographers and artists will also sell works in the shop.
“I want to help and support other brands as they grow,” Mueller says.
Mueller will also use the space as her second classroom (she currently teaches out of her studio in Northeast Minneapolis), where she can host candlemaking classes, events like “Candles and Charcuterie” or “Candles and Floral Arrangements,” private parties, and kids’ workshops. First up is a wax sachet class on January 11, perfect for fighting those winter doldrums.
And for those who are already fans of Excelsior Candle Co., good news: The Bottomless Candle Program lives on. Once you finish burning an Excelsior candle, bring its container into the shop for 50 percent off your next scent. Already have a jar, ceramic, or container you love? Excelsior can turn that into a candle, too, and fill it with your favorite wax.
In need of another gift or two this season? Don’t fret—Founders Co. officially opens Wednesday, December 21, just in time to snag a locally made present or two. Find them at 3937 Market Street, Edina, and on Insta at @founderscollab.
December 20, 2022
6:33 AM