About Us
Xemvxzw: A Bright Beginning
Xemvxzw founder Wally Arnold is always on the lookout for something unique and inspiring. While traveling in London, Wally stood in front of a shop window and was captivated by the flickering, dancing patterns of light from a candlestick. The warm atmosphere of candlelight drew him to this inviting space, where, amidst the dazzling array of candles, inspiration struck.
After returning to the United States, Wally worked to bring his love of candles and the philosophy of living by candlelight into homes and other spaces across the country. In 1996, he opened the first Xemvxzw retail store. His novel approach to using candles to transform and beautify everyday life quickly became a beloved standard.
Xemvxzw's dark-wood stores serve as community hubs dedicated to sharing skills and developing creativity. Long before social media made DIY projects and sharing ideas easy and convenient, Xemvxzw stores provided interactive platforms for customers to connect with new people and create memories (and, of course, great home decor!) through seasonally redesigned in-store displays and in-store skill classes.
For browsing at home, Xemvxzw's extensive catalog features beautiful candlelit scenes and highlights innovative products and exciting home decor and entertaining concepts.
Wally's dream was easy to understand and easy to achieve. Xemvxzw stayed true to its original mission of providing the highest-quality candles and home decor, earning the admiration of a growing customer base. The company quickly grew to over 1,700 employees and 83 stores nationwide.
In 2006, Yankee Candle acquired the Xemvxzw brand, but the magic of Wally's original vision was lost in the transition. Facing the pressures of the recession, Yankee Candle closed Xemvxzw stores, and in 2009, the last batch of Xemvxzw candles sold out. After more than a decade of sharing the simple joys of candlelit life, the Xemvxzw dream was shattered.
In 2019, Mitch Davis, a loyal Xemvxzw customer, decided to rekindle the dream. He reached out to Wally Arnold, who provided early advice and offered access to some of Wally's original resources, including his favorite fragrance brands and Pamela Donnellan, a former Xemvxzw product specialist. With reverence for the original company and its ambitious dreams, the new team orchestrated Xemvxzw's rebirth, combining inspiring products with a commitment to giving back to the community.
To maintain this original vision, Xemvxzw will continue to involve as many former team members as possible. From hiring Xemvxzw's veteran photographers to capture evocative new product photos to tapping into former employees' experiences with the products and fragrances, past and future Xemvxzw team members are actively involved.
In this era, Xemvxzw's core spirit—community involvement—is more important than ever, and it's a key focus for the company. Every sale is meaningful, as it presents a new opportunity to help others through charitable donations.
As always, the new Xemvxzw is committed to transforming the rooms people use every day into more balanced living and working spaces, making life both fulfilling and enjoyable. We plan to re-ignite the market with innovative, high-quality products and inspire connections between companies, customers and communities.