Using her luxury home fragrance brand, Johnson infuses scents associated with greats of time. With the likes of James Baldwin—hinting at his love for his St. Paul de Vence garden with fresh notes of apple and cloves in the "Baldwin" Candle ($60, harlemcandlecompany.com)—and Harlem's night life with auras of bourbon and palo santo in the "Speakeasy" Luxury Candle ($45, harlemcandlecompany.com)—the brand epitomizes an artistic age that has defined and transcended history. Ahead, Johnson details how she got her business started and continues to put sentimental value behind each of her products.
Discovering a Passion
Johnson made her premiere batch of homemade candles in 2013, however, she didn't intentionally see this as a business. "I made about 50 candles to give to friends and family for Christmas," she says. "I decided to make candles because I love getting [them] as gifts." To complete her gifting for the holiday season, she enlisted the help of a chemist she knew created fragrance oils for candle companies—and it changed everything. "He whipped up about six different fragrances and gave them to me, and I went to town and started making these candles," she adds. "I got so into the process of making them, and I got really excited about creating a story for each one." Each of her candles—poured in different colors and packaged in labels—were branded as "La Maison de Bougie de Teri" (Teri's House of Candles) to make her creations even more official and personal. The reception from her inner circle sharing how much they loved them and would be willing to buy the candles prompted her to take the newfound venture to the next level.
As a resident of Harlem since the mid-2000s, she started selling her candles at local pop-up shops in the area and spreading the word about her new business on Instagram. In the process of growing her brand, she soon realized the Harlem Candle Company moniker was available to trademark. "Because I was able to get the name Harlem, I realized there is a lot of weight to that name," Johnson explains. "I think about Harlem as being the epicenter of African American culture—there's so much history, art, and literature." So, in 2014, the Harlem Candle Company brand was officially born.
Read full story about Teri Johnson at Martha Stewart's website here.
