SLO County candle-making business buys popular coffee shop. How will it change?
A popular San Luis Obispo County candle-making and wellness brand is expanding — both in its primary business and with a new acquisition.
Owners Karla and Spencer Wenger launched their business online in 2020 as The Mayan Collective, selling environmentally friendly candles and bath and body products.
Then, in 2022, they opened a storefront in Pismo Beach dubbed the Candle Bar, which allowed customers to create their own personalized candles, before adding a second location called Apothecary Refill Station in the Arroyo Grande Village in 2023.
There, “You can refill your bottles with unscented hand soap, detergent, dish soap, shampoo, conditioner, and more,” according to the website. It also includes a Candle Bar.
However, even while opening a pair of stores within two years, the Wengers felt they wanted to do more, Karla said.
“When we moved to the Central Coast before even envisioning having any type of business, we wanted to have a coffee shop,” Karla said.
Now, Karla said, the Wengers have decided to expand into the coffee business with the recent acquisition of Greenhouse Coffee Co., another small Arroyo Grande business.
As longtime fans of the coffee shop, Karla and Spencer said they jumped when the opportunity to buy Greenhouse presented itself.
“We’ve been coming here as customers since it opened,” Spencer said.
Mayan Collective growing in South County
Karla said she and Spencer already knew Greenhouse’s previous owner, Mark Perry, prior to buying the business, and said he’s made the transition easy for the new owners.
The Wengers will take full control of the business starting April 1, but Karla said customers shouldn’t worry about things changing at the popular coffee shop — with some key exceptions.
The menu — which currently features a range of coffees and open-faced sandwiches served on slices of bread called “toasties” — is set to expand under the Wengers’ leadership.
Spencer said they plan to add “grab-and-go” food for customers in a hurry and will add foods like salads to the menu.
New coffees and beverages — including beer and wine, eventually — will be also added in the coming year, Karla said.
The Wengers plan to do some redecorating as well, adding more plants and outdoor seating while keeping the vibe of the shop as is, Karla said.
Greenhouse customers can also expect expanded merchandise and integration with the existing Mayan Collective brand, Karla said.
When customers fill up 10 punch cards, they’ll be eligible for a free candle-making session at the Apothecary Refill Station, she said.
“What we want is for people to feel like they belong to the place,” Karla said.
Candle Bar expansion coming to SLO
The Wengers’ foray into the world of coffee isn’t their only big move planned this year.
In late 2024, the Wengers will open a new Candle Bar location at SLO Ranch Farms, Karla said.
The new location will be much larger than the original Candle Bar and will be able to serve 13 customers at its bar at a time, rather than just a handful in the previous space.
Like the Candle Bar and Apothecary Refill Station, the new location will offer candle-making classes along with environmentally friendly bath and body products.
The new location won’t be open until September, once construction is complete, Spencer said.
“We’re big dreamers, both of us, but I think both of us are not as scared of failure,” Karla said.
This story was originally published March 30, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
