06/09/2026
Over the last few months, I’ve found myself thinking more and more about the future of The Ardea Candle Makers, my life on the canals, and what trading from my little narrowboat actually looks like going forward.
And honestly, I still haven’t come to a final conclusion.
My heart is still very much in The Ardea Candle Makers. This little business has given us so many memories, introduced me to some incredible people, taken us to some brilliant places and given us a way of life that, at times, we could never have imagined.
But sometimes, when you run a business, you have to take the emotion out of it for a moment and look at the reality.
We have invested thousands and thousands of pounds into Ardea over the years. We’ve put our time, money, energy and an enormous amount of love into creating what we have today.
But the reality is that costs continue to rise.
And one of the things we have always been incredibly proud of is our commitment to being as environmentally friendly as possible. We use coconut waxes rather than paraffin, we try to make responsible choices wherever we can, and we’ve always wanted our products to reflect our values.
The problem is that doing things the right way isn't always the cheapest way.
Our margins are now literally pennies on some products.
Then there’s the biggest issue of all.
Time.
Connor has started building other ventures and, particularly over the last year, has been putting more and more time into filmmaking and Just Connor Films. It’s something he is incredibly passionate about and something he needs to pursue if he is going to build a sustainable future for himself.
But that inevitably means his time is now split between lots of different projects.
And unfortunately, there are only so many hours in a day.
So where does that leave The Ardea Candle Makers?
At the moment, we honestly don't know for certain.
But realistically, from 2027 onwards, we are probably looking at The Ardea Candle Makers becoming primarily an online business, with perhaps one or two floating events each year.
Because the truth is, we absolutely LOVE the floating markets.
We love seeing familiar faces.
We love meeting new people.
We love being part of the canal community.
And we love loading up the boat, heading off somewhere and setting up the little shop.
Those are the bits that make this business incredibly difficult to walk away from.
But there comes a point where you also have to ask yourself whether something is financially sustainable.
Unlike many canal traders, this isn't something we're doing alongside retirement or a full-time job. We aren't doing this simply as a hobby.
We need an income.
And if the business isn't producing enough of one, then eventually you have to listen to the numbers, however much your heart might disagree.
The UK candle market is also incredibly saturated. There are thousands of people making and selling candles, many of them from home, and competing in that environment is becoming increasingly difficult.
That doesn't mean Ardea has failed.
Far from it.
We are incredibly proud of what we have built.
But sometimes businesses reach a point where you have to be honest with yourself and ask whether continuing in the same way is actually the right thing to do.
So this isn't an announcement that The Ardea Candle Makers is closing.
Not yet.
It’s more of an honest update from us.
We’re thinking.
We're looking at the future.
We're looking at what makes sense financially, what makes sense for our lives, and what we actually want the next few years to look like.
And whatever happens, Ardea will always mean something to us.
This little narrowboat business has been a huge part of our lives.
So for now, we're going to keep going, keep making, keep trading where we can, and see where the canal takes us.
And if eventually the time comes to close the floating shop and concentrate on the online side, or move on altogether, we'll do it knowing that we gave it everything we had.
Thank you to every single person who has bought a candle, visited the boat, stopped for a chat, shared a post, recommended us to someone, or simply followed our journey.
You have genuinely been part of the story of The Ardea Candle Makers.
And whatever the future holds, that will never be something we take for granted.
