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by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors
December 14, 2023
In 2015, she based Harlem Candle Firm utilizing $50,000 initially saved for her marriage ceremony, and now it boasts an annual income of $2 million.
Teri Johnson, a 47-year-old African-American girl from New York Metropolis, turned her ardour for Harlem’s cultural heritage right into a thriving luxurious candle enterprise. In 2015, she based Harlem Candle Firm utilizing $50,000 initially saved for her marriage ceremony, and now it boasts an annual income of $2 million.
When Johnson moved to Harlem in 2000, the wealthy cultural historical past of Black icons that surrounded the group reignited her deep ardour for Black tradition. In 2014, she began crafting scented candles in her kitchen as items for her household and pals, realizing a possibility to mix her pastime with Harlem’s cultural heritage.”Every part simply fell into place,” Johnson advised Inc. “I used to be inspired by family and friends who had acquired my candles. I used to be making the candles in Harlem, and I cherished the Harlem Renaissance. My purpose grew to become to place Harlem on the map with a lovely, luxurious perfume.”
As a former administration marketing consultant armed with an MBA from Florida A&M, an HBCU, Johnson effortlessly navigated the enterprise panorama. Nevertheless, the difficult half turned out to be funding her enterprise. That’s when she determined to repurpose the $50,000 supposed for her marriage ceremony, satisfied her dad and mom she wouldn’t get married anymore, and redirected the funds towards stock.
Since then, Harlem Candle Firm, which initially bought $50 luxurious candles every, has grown right into a enterprise price $2 million in annual gross sales. Her luxurious candles, which pay homage to the Harlem Renaissance, at the moment are bought in 134 shops, together with main retailers like Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, and Macy’s. Johnson has additionally ventured into company gifting, securing shoppers similar to JP Morgan Chase, Google, and Meta.
What units her candles aside is the storytelling facet, every perfume and packaging telling the tales of Black luminaries similar to Josephine Baker, Duke Ellington, and Langston Hughes, amongst others. Considered one of her creations, Purple Love, a floral-accented candle impressed by James Baldwin, even earned a spot on Oprah’s Favourite Issues record in 2023.
“I do my analysis, and my perfumers take my imaginative and prescient and go deeper to create these essences that basically do transport you again to a Nineteen Twenties speakeasy or to the artistic house of a Langston Hughes,” she mentioned.
Past candles, Johnson expands her artistic endeavors with the Harlem Design Firm, set to launch journals celebrating the Harlem Renaissance. As she continues to attract inspiration from the previous, her model turns into a bridge between historical past and the current, capturing the essence of the Harlem Renaissance for a brand new technology.
“With me being a Black girl, having a enterprise based mostly right here, and celebrating Black tradition that celebrates Black excellence and Black historical past, I felt a really robust duty to be part of it,” she mentioned.
Be taught extra about her firm by way of its official web site at HarlemCandleCompany.com
Additionally, remember to comply with her model on Instagram @HarlemCandleCompany
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This story was first reported by blackbusiness.com
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