Local Home Décor And Fragrance Company Will Be Featured At The Style Shop

Jamica Harper is the owner of Red Elephant Candle Co. Photo provided by Jamica Harper.
Jamica Harper is the owner of Red Elephant Candle Co. Photo provided by Jamica Harper.

Local Home Décor And Fragrance Company Will Be Featured At The Style Shop

By Tia Carol Jones

Jamica Harper started the Red Elephant Candle Company in 2020. A candle lover, she had been burning them but noticed when she did, she didn’t feel well. Eventually, she found out it was the candle she was burning. So, she set out to create a candle brand that would have the fragrance that she wanted and the feeling that came with burning the candle, without the elements that made her and others not feel well.

Harper said the name Red Elephant comes from her favorite color and her favorite animal. What sets Red Elephant Candle Company apart is that Harper handcrafts the cement vessels that encase the candles. With the products, Harper wants people to embrace wellness and serenity, while transforming their living space into a place for restoration and calm.

She started out researching oils and their properties for calmness, happiness and focus and began blending them. She wasn’t selling the candles, she was gifting them to friends and family who suggested that she start the company because other people needed what she was creating.

“If I’m going to do this, I want to make sure this is going to be right and I want to make sure I’m able to provide some type of aid to someone’s home and to them,” she said.

Harper’s Red Elephant Candle Company will be featured at the H&M Style Shop, curated by Maison Black. The Chicago event will take place on Saturday, Dec. 13th, at the H&M store on Michigan Ave., 679 N. Michigan. Maison Black was founded by Tori Nichel and was launched in 2021, with the intention of transforming immersive pop-up experiences into cultural moments that bridge commerce and community. The goal of Maison Black is to platform Black creatives and display their artistry.

Red Elephant Candle Company uses all natural oils, everything from lavender to sage, peppermint and ylang ylang. Harper said she focuses on scents that help a person center themselves. Harper also was part of the L1 business accelerator program, which is part of the University of Chicago Arts + Public Life.

She said being part of the program helped elevate her business and helped her get back to her why, as well as understanding the product and how to sell it. She has been able to use it as a resource and a home base when she has questions.

Being a part of the L1 business accelerator program, it allowed her to expand her brand. She entered home décor. She was already creating the vessels for the candles and making the cement molds. She found that she could go into home décor and home goods, because it was a natural expansion for her as a creative. She said that being part of the program showed her that she is an artist and that her creativity and talent is evident in her work. Harper said having a platform like L1 and being part of The Style Shop brings a lot of awareness to her business.

“Having that type of platform, it broadens it. It brings more attention to you, it brings more attention to your brand, it brings more attention to your creativity. I feel like having that type of platform is good, because now you’re collaborating outside the box, your collaborations that you’re used to is now on a higher scale,” she said. She added that she is grateful to have the opportunity to be noticed by Maison Black and H&M.

Harper said that people who have purchased her products love the fact that she creates the vessels and designs the vases for the candles. She said they also love the scents and love the home décor brand. She said that she has returning customers and people will see her products and recognize the Red Elephant brand. 

For more information about the Red Elephant Candle Company, visit www.redelephantcandlecompany.com. For more information about Maison Black, visit www.maisonblack.shop.


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