It started in a bathroom in Salt Lake City…
Every winter, a few old friends and I make the pilgrimage to Salt Lake City. We’ve known each other since we were kids, and this trip is our way of keeping that thread alive. This year’s plan was ambitious: four mountains in four days. By day four, we were wrecked. I dragged myself into the shower, hoping the water would shock me back to life.
When I reached for a towel, I noticed something—a glass vase on the back of the toilet, stuffed with colorful restaurant matchbooks.
“I love your matchbook collection,” I told my friend’s girlfriend (now wife).
She smiled. “They’re from my time in New York.”
That line hit me. They had left New York—friends, family, familiar streets—to start over out West. And here, in their new home, was a small shrine to where she’d come from.
You could tell it meant something deeper than decoration. Each matchbook was a postcard from her past—dinners with friends, bad dates, good ones that stuck, job promotions, late nights that turned into early mornings. Little pieces of a life she’d built and left behind.
That image stuck with me: an entire chapter of someone’s life, contained in a vase full of folded cardboard and half-burned memories.
At Matchbook Club, that’s what we want to capture—a sense of place and time. A collection that pulls you back to the moments that shaped you. The people, the smells, the sounds. The cities that made you who you are.
Curated Nostalgia.
Matchbook Club was built on the idea of Curated Nostalgia. To us, nostalgia isn’t just about looking back—it’s about reconnecting with the places and moments that have shaped us. Our collections are designed to capture the essence and aesthetic of your favorite cities—an ode to the places that matter to you the most.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
General Questions
What is Matchbook Club?
Matchbook Club sells curated nostalgia through our city-inspired matchbook collections. Each collection comes with a curated collection of matchbooks sourced from iconic local restaurants, bars, and hospitality businesses and our Matchbook Club candle.
How does Matchbook Club choose the matchbooks for each collection?
We carefully select businesses that have a longstanding presence in our target cities and embody the culture, attitude, and character of the city. Our goal is to create an authentic representation of each location through our curated matchbook collections.
Which cities are currently featured in your collections?
Our collections are constantly expanding! We currently feature Denver and have upcoming collections for New York City, Austin, and Chicago. If you’d like to see your city featured, let us know!
Product & Ordering
What comes in a Matchbook Club set?
Each Matchbook Club City Collection set includes:
✔ Five curated matchbooks, including:
- Four matchbooks from iconic local restaurants, bars, and hospitality spots
- One Matchbook Club matchbook
✔ A premium candle crafted to capture the essence of a specific city
Where are Matchbook Club candles made?
Our candles are proudly made in the USA, hand-poured in Texas using high-quality, clean-burning soy-based wax and sustainable fragrance oils.
For Businesses & Partnerships
How can my business be featured in a Matchbook Club collection?
We love working with iconic local businesses! If your restaurant, bar, or hospitality brand has a distinctive matchbook, we’d love to include it in one of our city collections. To get started, contact us at info@thematchbookclub.com.
Does my business need to have existing matchbooks to be included?
No! If you already have matchbooks, we will purchase them from you. If you don’t have matchbooks but want to be included, we can design and procure the matchbooks for our collections.
Can I suggest a business to be included?
Yes! We’d love to hear about your favorite places. You can suggest a business by emailing us at info@thematchbookclub.com.
Shipping & Policies
Where do you ship?
We currently only ship across the United States. For international shipping, please reach out to us at info@thematchbookclub.com.
What is your return policy?
We accept returns for unused and unopened candles within 30 days of delivery. Unfortunately, we cannot accept returns for used candles or opened matchbook collections.
Contact Us
Still have questions? Reach out to us at info@thematchbookclub.com or follow us on Instagram @thematchbookclub to stay updated!