Ooohh Lala – Lackesha Pitter sparks new flame with candle-making
Published:Saturday | September 30, 2023 | 12:05 AMKrysta Anderson/Staff Reporter
Despite her decade-long career in marketing, Lackesha Pitter has always been curious about her creative side. After undergoing surgery in 2018, she decided to purchase a candle-making kit to occupy herself during the eight-week recovery period. Today, this entrepreneur has taken a significant leap of faith, leaving her 9-5 job to fully embrace this newfound passion for candle making.
“I decided it was time to take the boldest step of my life to date and take a bet on myself so that I wouldn’t have to live with ‘what ifs’. After much prayer and listening to God’s guidance, I’ve shifted focus to my business ventures full time, which includes Ooohh Lala Candles & Giftery and my project management career,” she told Saturday Living. Despite the work that has gone into this endeavour, Pitter is grateful for what she describes as her “faith walk”, which has been one of the most fulfilling experiences she has ever encountered.
Currently, her company supplies unique ‘scentsations’ that bring a refreshing energy to your home or office space. “Our mint mojito and rosemary sage are our top scents that our customers can’t get enough of,” Pitter noted. She explained that her reason for creating these one-of-a-kind offerings stem from her strong belief in self-care, as these candles are crafted not only to elevate your space but also to uplift your mood.
According to the candle maker, having a candle in your home or office space has several advantages. These include mood enhancement, as candles have a soothing effect, and the reduction of stress and anxiety. Additionally, they contribute to enhancing the aesthetics of your home décor. “Candles are overall great for promoting mental health and well-being,” she added.
Picking this particular artistic outlet did not come as a surprise to those who really know Pitter. “Growing up, I was always exposed to candles and scents. My family loved scented candles and so every time someone travelled they would take back scented candles; I developed a love affair from an early age,” she revealed.
After buying books and getting familiar with candle-making kits, Pitter made her first two candles, giving one to her best friend. The positive feedback she received inspired her to experiment even further, extending her gifts to other friends and family members.
It wasn’t long before the wider public got a whiff of the fragrances, instantly falling in love and finding solace in them. This overwhelmingly positive response inspired the brand’s name, ‘Ooohh Lala’.
“This is how I really wanted people to feel when they interact with my products. I wanted to evoke a ‘feel good” reaction,” she shared.
Currently offering two primary sizes, 8 and 10 ounces, Pitter also crafts mini candles upon special request for event favours. Customised packaging options are also available.
“We recently launched our ‘Wax and Wick Candle Making Experience’, which is a great activity for corporate team building and social gathering. Each participant in the workshop is provided with all the essentials needed to create a candle and we walk them through the process step by step to create their own unique candle to take home and enjoy,” she said.
So what’s next for Ooohh Lala? The team is currently building an e-commerce platform. “One of the main things we would love to achieve is to get our candles into international markets; both brick and mortar stores and e-commerce platforms such as Amazon.”
Ooohh Lala candles may be purchased locally at the My Jamaica Store in Liguanea, Devon House Gift Shop in Kingston and The Rum Yard on Main Street, Montego Bay. Persons living in the United States of America and Canada may purchase candles on caribshopper.com.
Ooohh Lala is on Instagram, @ooohhlala_candlesandmore.