Teri Johnson, Harlem Candle Company, African American Entrepreneur, African American Business, #BuyBlack, KOLUMN Magazine, KOLUMN

Teri Johnson’s Harlem Candle Company Celebrates History | The Network Journal

Read Time 2 min.

Teri Johnson’s Harlem Candle Company Celebrates History | The Network Journal



[dropcap]This[/dropcap] world traveler was inspired by the fragrances she’s experienced in the 66 countries she visited, and transferred them to her candle collection, which actually she handmade in her kitchen before officially launching the Harlem Candle Company as a global brand.

Her scents are not only tantalizing, they have exciting names and memories attached to them. Take her Holiday candle, inspired by Billie Holiday, who grew up in Harlem. The candle has a pine note, paying plays homage to Holiday’s song “If The Moon Turns Green.” [mc4wp_form id=”6042″]

TNJ: What prompted you to start the company?
Teri Johnson: I’ve been a huge consumer of luxury candles for a long time. I am also slightly obsessed with fragrance and used to experiment by making my own perfumes when I was a child. In 2010, I met an actual perfumer / chemist who has served as my mentor and who gave me fragrance oils to make my first few batches of candles. In 2012, I made about 50 candles and branded it, “La Maison de Bougie de Teri” (translation: Teri’s House of Candles) and gifted them to friends and family. They loved them and encouraged me to start a business, but to change the name because most people don’t understand French.

Teri Johnson, Harlem Candle Company, African American Entrepreneur, African American Business, #BuyBlack, KOLUMN Magazine, KOLUMNCourtesy of Harlem Candle Company | Photo Credit

Teri Johnson, Harlem Candle Company, African American Entrepreneur, African American Business, #BuyBlack, KOLUMN Magazine, KOLUMNCourtesy of Harlem Candle Company | Photo Credit

Teri Johnson, Harlem Candle Company, African American Entrepreneur, African American Business, #BuyBlack, KOLUMN Magazine, KOLUMNCourtesy of Harlem Candle Company | Photo Credit

Teri Johnson, Harlem Candle Company, African American Entrepreneur, African American Business, #BuyBlack, KOLUMN Magazine, KOLUMNCourtesy of Harlem Candle Company | Photo Credit


NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY & CULTURE | WASHINGTON, DC

The National Museum of African American History and Culture is the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, history, and culture. It was established by Act of Congress in 2003, following decades of efforts to promote and highlight the contributions of African Americans. To date, the Museum has collected more than 36,000 artifacts and nearly 100,000 individuals have become charter members. The Museum opened to the public on September 24, 2016, as the 19th and newest museum of the Smithsonian Institution. (Website).