Dundee Horror Con was a fantastic day of horror-based talks and tradespeople in the Scottish city, and I jumped on the chance to talk to a local creator.

Evie, the owner of Moth and Magpie, is a frequent seller at horror, alternative, and comic con related events with her fandom-centric merch, including gorgeously scented candles (I couldn’t resist and came away clutching a Castiel candle that smells like cedar, jasmine, and nostalgia), as well as keyrings, tote bags, and other thematic items for the discerning fan.

I asked Evie about how she fits in as part of the horror scene in Scotland.

“I have a lot of passion for films and TV but not specifically horror; more nerdy and geeky. There’s some overlap but I’m what Laura, [organiser of the con] calls horror-adjacent.”

A lot of Moth and Magpie’s merchandise is focused around these blurred lines of horror and fandom. Supernatural and Buffy are two of their top lines of themed merchandise and both sit squarely inside the Venn diagram of ‘nerdy fandom’ and ‘horror’. Although both of these series and their iconic characters are officially over, there are still plenty of people looking for merch.

Despite the huge range of products, the professional stall set up and her website, Evie has only been running Moth and Magpie full time for about a year.

“I was just running it out of my parents’ kitchen before, which got overwhelming. We got a proper workshop unit in Stirling in May because it was getting to the point of really needing my own space for it.

The workshop doesn’t have any windows so it can get a little claustrophobic but it’s amazing.”

We chat a little while about Evie’s products. Everything she sells is hand-designed and handmade – candles hand poured, keyrings cut individually on the Cruicut. She said the Criminal Minds range is surprisingly popular because it’s a show with quite a lot of fans, however they are underserved by a lot of makers who tend to focus on the more popular shows.

“I really like the very, very niche and nerdy stuff,” she confides, “The Buffy Magic Box design is one of my favourites, it’s one of those where you kind of have to know, it’s very subtle, but if you know what it is then you really feel on the same wavelength as someone else.” Evie says that creating these momentary connections between fans and people with common likes is one of the highlights of her work.

Another highlight for Evie is the fact that owning her own business allows her to be independent. “I am definitely the kind of person who wouldn’t work very well in a nine to five job. I’ve got an odd sleep schedule and I thrive when I’m self managed and self regulated. Being able to organise my workflow however I want is the only way I can work. It’s a lot of work but I have complete control over what I’m doing and when I’m doing it.”

Of course, while owning your own business has many benefits, there are also pitfalls to be aware of. Because all of Moth and Magpie’s products are handmade, pulling together stock for a convention is a huge task. “Yeah, I was making candles for today right up until yesterday afternoon, packed them all up, went home, and was up until the early hours of the morning making keyrings and tote bags.”

On top of the hard work, being a one-person business is a lot of responsibility. “If you don’t get something done, it doesn’t get done.” We chatted about how important it is to pace yourself – as with much in life, this is a marathon, not a sprint.

We get talking about convention etiquette and I asked Evie about something I saw on Moth and Magpie’s Instagram page that I hadn’t seen anywhere else before – a ‘stall guide’ that described what to expect at a M&M stall at a con, and how to engage with the products.

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“Well, I am autistic myself and have been on the other side of the table before and confused and not quite known how to approach. It can be very daunting, especially when the person running the business is staring you right in the eye. I try and have quite a hands-off approach and let people come to me because I know a lot of my audience and attendees at these event are neurodivergent too. I wanted to provide the information that would allow people to feel informed and not get overwhelmed and flustered, and have a calm experience when they’re looking at my stuff.”

Evie happily tells me about the convention scene. As someone who mainly makes products that are very tactile (scented candles), cons like Dundee Horror Con are really important to Moth and Magpie. They make a lot more first-time sales in person at cons, with most of their online sales being repeat customers. People tend to want to smell a scented candle before buying it.

Beyond it being better for business, Evie values the community and connections a convention offers. “I’m a bit of an introvert but I do get such a buzz from these things,’ she said.

Despite all the prep work, logistics, and the hard work of the day, conventions are the most rewarding part of Evie’s job. She said that working alone in a studio doesn’t give the same feeling of fulfilment as being at a con. Interacting with customers, many of whom are fans of the same media that Evie is, connecting with people is what makes the conventions so worthwhile.

There’s also clearly a community among the stallholders and exhibitors. I noticed multiple conversations happening between stall neighbours, and there’s a real sense of camaraderie.

“There’s a particularly strong community amongst the artists and makers,” says Evie.

“The support is really important. We talk about suppliers, events, organisers, everything.” She also mentions how key it is to have the support of a community after a difficult day. Not every convention is a huge success, and it’s deeply reassuring to have people reminding you it’s not your fault or your stock – some days are just quieter, some events are quieter.”

The mutual support of fellow business owners is crucial to Evie. “I feel like a lot of people view me as just some little girl doing arts and crafts, which I guess has some element of truth to it, but I work very hard […] I’m not just a maker, I’m a business owner.”

To round things out, I asked Evie about what a day in the life of a small business owner selling nerdy scented candles at conventions looks like, and with a wry smile she tells me what I already knew.

“Every day is different really. It’s really dependent on events that are coming up, deadlines, what sold on the website. I do have a big long list of tasks to make sure everything gets done, but there’s no standard day.”

The UK has a thriving scene of horror, alternative, and nerdy conventions and events, and Moth and Magpie can be found at many of them, as well as online. Follow the store’s Instagram page to see where you can find Evie and her scented candles next.