After more than six years in business, Marie Pope and her son, Shane, announced Friday that the Shane & Pepper Foundation and Shane & Pepper Candle Company are no more due to lack of financial support.
Marie and Shane made the announcement via a video on the foundation’s Facebook page. The business will be offering all items — furniture and all — for liquidation soon.
"Unfortunately, this is not a happy video … where do I begin?” said Shane in the video. "First, we want to thank you for the journey all these years. From this day on, we have to shut it down — both the foundation and the business. This is not the decision we wanted to make, but we are forced to because of a lack of support and a lack of help.”
Marie told her son he has shed a lot of light on a lot of people with all different types of abilities since 2016.
"What matters,” he said, "is the people we helped along the way. We tried to help as many as we could, but it wasn’t a lot of help. We’ve been having financial trouble.”
In the video, Marie said the donations were so great for the people who did give to Shane & Pepper Candle Co. and the Shane & Pepper Foundation, but it was not enough to keep it sustainable and keep the programs going.
"I am honestly lost for words because we created this to create such opportunities for the community to help, and, as a mother, with a son with a disability, it wasn’t about money. It was about the people,” she said. "We don’t have the mindset of ‘money, money, money, money, money;’ the mindset was who can we help, how can we change lives? Because I don’t think that way as a business, maybe that’s why. We think more of the people because we love this life.”
In an exclusive interview on Sunday, Marie Pope said the Shane & Pepper journey faced many significant roadblocks and bumps in the road along the way, with the major one being their effort to integrate its online and physical store with the foundation, aimed at supporting Ability programs.
"This endeavor met with unexpected trials. As we scrutinized our 2023 figures, the stark reality dawned on us: our sales were insufficient to sustain both the business and the foundation. Witnessing the sparse foot traffic in our Lansdale store, where we barely had 10 visitors a week, was heart-wrenching,” said Pope.
Add in the rising costs of candle-making materials, along with increased platform fees, shipping, and rent, and the Popes had a major financial burden.
"The sight of my son Shane, filled with hope as he peered out the window, deeply affected me. Despite creative efforts like dancing in a candle costume to attract customers, we faced continual setbacks,” she said. "Our hearts are broken, as we dearly loved Lansdale and deeply appreciate those who supported us by visiting our store. Unfortunately, this support was not enough to keep the business afloat.”
Pope said there was difficulty in securing donations and grants, which became the final nail in the coffin.
"The future of the Shane & Pepper Foundation hangs in the balance, despite the overwhelming outreach from families recognizing its crucial role for the disability, neurodiverse, and intellectual communities. An emergency board meeting is planned to discuss the fate of the foundation, with a hopeful outlook towards its reconstruction,” Pope said.
Pope said growth often sprouts from the seeds of failure, but the challenge of insufficient funding, declining sales, and unsuccessful grant applications have been overwhelming.
"Despite pouring our personal resources into this venture, we find ourselves at a juncture where continuing is no longer feasible, a reality that is devastating for us, the Ability community, and particularly for Shane, who has worked tirelessly to foster opportunities,” she said.
Just three days prior to the video, Shane & Pepper Foundation announced a critical update on Facebook about its organization, including changing the name from Shane & Pepper Company to Shane & Pepper Foundation Ability Center.
They shut down their existing candle website permanently due to lack of sales and directed people to www.TheShanePepper.org. The foundation was working on refreshing its programs and unveiling new offerings in February.
It had also planned to sell candles exclusively at its Ability Center Teaching Store and planned to cut its hours to Fridays and Saturdays only, while holding classes during the day and evening.
"Shane is profoundly devastated, and Pepper, who loved the store, is integral to our mission. Shane’s spirit, though momentarily dimmed, is poised to brighten once more as we seek a new direction for the foundation,” Marie said. "His optimism endures, with a desire for the community to understand that his candles represented more than mere objects. They were a symbol of a welcoming space, free from judgment—a place of love and acceptance. Shane & Pepper is more than a store; it is a testament to hope and compassion.”
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