Juniper Row Candles · Saturday market stall

How many candles until the stall pays for itself

Sam, this is the sum I'd like you to check before I sign for the pitch on Friday. It opens on my best guesses for one month. Change any of the four numbers and the answer moves with it.

Selin Yildiz · November 18, 2026

Fixed costs, a month $ Pitch 4 × $85, canopy and table hire $120, card reader and website $100, insurance $40

Price per candle $ An 8 oz jar. Stalls nearby charge $16 to $22.

Cost to make one $ Wax $2.10, jar and lid $2.40, wick and scent $1.30, label and box $0.70

Candles I expect to sell About 20 a Saturday, 4 Saturdays a month

To break even

53 candles a month

Where each $18.00 goes

Costs and sales as the month's candles add up

SalesTotal costsFixed costs

The working

break-even units = fixed costs ÷ (price − cost to make one)

What this leaves out

My time. Nobody is paid here for pouring candles or standing at the stall.
The start-up kit: about $380 for a melting pot, pouring jugs, a scale and a thermometer, paid once.
Candles that crack, don't sell or go out as samples.
Sales tax, and income tax on any profit.
Quiet months. December won't look like February.

What I need from you. Tell me which of the four numbers you trust least. That's the one I'll check before Friday. This is a planning sketch built on my own estimates, not financial advice.