Today we’d like to introduce you to Kerris Sease and Marcus Richard. Them and their team share their story with us below:
Ambrosia & Nectar is a new Houston based luxury stationery, candle, and home fragrance company. Founded in 2021 by Houstonians Marcus Richard and Kerris Sease, Ambrosia & Nectar is an expression of the couples’ creativity, style, and love for home décor, culture, and the finer things in life.
Ambrosia & Nectar is currently sold online and in two local shops. Both opportunities were formed by chance and are a reflection of the couple.
While searching for design and packaging inspiration the couple visited Sunny Roads Interiors on Fondren. As they searched through every one of the various fabrics, Marcus sparked a conversation with Rafael the lively store manager. Marcus explained that they were starting a luxury candle business and that Kerris was at the time looking to create an accent for the candles’ packaging. By the end of the conversation, Rafael shared that once our product was ready he would love to check it out and even possibly carry it in the store.
A few months later, in preparation for a friend’s wedding, Kerris was looking for someone to make alterations to a gown. As a result, the couple entered the McQueens Custom Tailor clothing store on Almeda. While the fashion-forward store owner McQueen usually worked on men’s clothing he offered to check out Kerris’ gown. As Kerris retrieved her gown, Marcus sparked a conversation with McQueen and checked out the store’s goods. He shared that the couple loved luxury candles and were starting a candle line. McQueen kindly offered advice and well wishes. He also shared with the couple that if the product was great, great looking, and great smelling he would even think about letting them sell it in his shop.
The couple rose to the occasion and released their beautiful candle line in December of 2021. Shortly after the couple called both businesses and both of these local businesses/business owners welcomed Ambrosia & Nectar products to their shelves.
Since then, the couple continues to manage their online store, attend pop up shops in the community, and establish valuable relationships.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
We have been very fortunate/blessed. While there have been many small hiccups such as delays in the supply chain, discontinuation of products, price fluctuation due to inflation, and the overall management of a small business we have had many successes in such a small amount of time. We have had each other and family and friends for support.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Ambrosia & Nectar?
Ambrosia & Nectar is a new Houston based luxury stationery, candle, and home fragrance company. We are a small black family business (the couple became engaged a few days after the candle line’s release). All of our fragrances/ candles are hand-poured by us and all of our stationery and designed by us. Part of what sets us apart is the beauty and quality of our goods, our love for our customers, and our style and taste. Our brand and style is sophisticated, chic, and eclectic.
After meeting us, and experiencing our products, one of our clients described our business as a “business built out of love”. We love creating and pouring together. We love seeing, hearing, and reading people’s reactions to our beautifully designed and scented products, and we love meeting and interacting with new people and businesses in our community.
We are most proud of the fact that we have accomplished so much within the first year of launching and that we did not let nerves and “what ifs” stop us from creating our beautiful business.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
While we plan and prepare a lot, “luck” (or our complimentary personalities) has definitely been on our side. We have been fortunate in the fact that friendly conversations have been seeds that have grown into great opportunities for us. We also have been fortunate enough to have met people who gave us advice and poured into us and introduced us to very supportive communities and people. Whether it’s been verbal advice and well wishes or purchases we have been blessed which others would describe as lucky.
Pricing:
- Large 14 oz candles $54.99
- Small 7 oz candles $25
- Diffusers $31
- Wick Trimmer $15
- Wick Snuffer $15
Contact Info:
- Email: ambrosiaandnectarcandles@
gmail.com - Website: ambrosiaandnectarcandles.com
- Instagram: @ambrosiaandnectarcandles
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Ambrosia-Nectar/100075674076002/
Image Credits
Chevelle Taylor
