Texan Jamie Ferriman the Founder of Bri Candles Touching the Hearts of Americans with Tribute to Daughter
Jamie Ferriman is the Founder and CEO of Bri Candles LLC. “Inspired by cherished memories with our daughter, Bridgett, who we lost in 2022, I founded Bri Candles in 2024. One of our most treasured pastimes was exploring candle shops together, losing ourselves in the beautiful fragrances. To keep her love alive, I created this business with her nickname and products that she loved. The candles are at her desired strength: strong, bold, beautiful and not overwhelming fragrance. You can smell my candle products either lit or unlit. Bri was also into creating natural bath products. I went a little bit further with it and made sure the ingredients were safe for all skin types. Bri’s Brother (our oldest) is allergic to most store-bought bath products. To help him in his life, all bath products are designed with natural ingredients and tested by him before they are released.”
Jamie is recognized as the Top Candle Designer & Owner of the Year by the International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP).
Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
In 2022 our family went through a tragedy that no family should ever have to experience. We lost one of our daughters named Bridgett by her own hand. We were devastated to say the least. I was spiraling downwards fast. My husband was trying to help me but unfortunately, he was not successful. He then recommended I pick up a hobby for distraction. I was reading an article about a high school kid making candles for a side hustle. That’s when the idea hit me of making candles for a hobby. Bridgett, her dad and I would go to other candle stores when out shopping and spend hours in just one store smelling each candle at least 2-3 times. It was our favorite hobby as a family. I researched the process for a couple of months learning the ins and outs, pros and cons, and so forth. I started buying materials and playing around in my craft room. I made some for my household, then family and friends. It then moved to my place of work. The response I was getting was overwhelming. Everyone loved them. I then branched out and looked into making natural bath products for people with skin allergies and conditions. Our oldest is allergic to many store-bought bath products. Bridgett used to try to create clean and natural products to grow hair, help her skin and more. I combined the two ideas and created the category Delightful, Aromatic and Natural Bath Essentials named after my dad that we lost in 2024. I decided to use all natural ingredients in all my products. I wanted to provide my family, friends and clients with a clean natural alternative in candle and bath products.
Where did you get the drive to continue even though things were so hard?
There have been a few times when I thought about throwing in the towel. It seemed like I was pushing hard and just spinning wheels and getting nowhere. I started to doubt myself. My husband was always there rooting me on. He believes in my product, my passion and my ability to succeed. He made sure to remind me of how great these products were and the purpose behind it. He said, “Bridgett would want you to keep moving forward. Not only to provide these amazing products but also so you can help people with the same issues of depression and suicidal thoughts.” Every year I donate to a program that helps people with finding resources during trouble times. For every candle sold a portion of the proceeds is donated in her name.
How much do you love creating your products?
I have been a creative individual my entire life. I truly enjoy drawing, DIY projects, painting and decorating. But when I found my true calling making candles, I became amazed with how easy and rewarding it is to make them. When it comes to inspiration for the design I get it several ways. The most important way is by thinking about our daughter’s life. I tune into people that were in her life, her passions, phrases that she used and so on. Once I find an object in her life, the visions of designs start coming to me in waves. Another way is walking around stores, watching TV shows and the internet. I see something and my eyes light up and I show my husband I want to make a candle like this, then I go to my candle room and start designing. I have had a few “bad” candles that come out, but the next batch comes out stunning. I use the bad batch to test burn to make sure they perform to my expectations: Clean burn with little too no soot, burn time is long and the wax pool is perfect for the candle size. Then most importantly the aroma. I want my candles to smell without lighting them and then stronger when you light them.
In such a short period of time in business you have been honored with Top Candle Designer & Owner of the Year by the International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP). What is your secret to success?
I have had articles written about me in Shout Out DFW and Canvas Rebel magazine. I have been nominated into Who’s Who of Professional Women and now have been honored with Top Candle Designer & Owner of the Year by the International Association of Top Professionals (IAOTP). With all this, I still don’t consider myself successful. Yes, it is truly an honor for each one of these and I am forever grateful. I am just a simple woman trying to make the best product for my family, friends, current and future clients. I want everyone to have the option of a “cleaner” life when it comes to candles, wax melts, car diffusers and body products. When Bri Candles becomes a household name like other companies, that’s when I will consider myself successful. With that being said, the success of what I have accomplished thus far is because I listen to my clients and have the biggest support system anyone could ask for, my family and friends. My family and friends have pushed me and supported me because they believe what I am doing will change and help people’s lives. I have had requests for natural products due to (what is becoming the norm) skin allergies, eczema, psoriasis, COBD and so forth. My natural products help my customers enjoy the finer things of clean and natural products without breaking the bank. I keep my prices lower for all walks of life to have access to and can afford.
What advice can you share with other small business owners?
My main advice is patience: in any business it takes a lot of patience. You want your business to grow and grow fast. Unfortunately, this is not a good thing. If you were blessed to have your business blossom immediately you could fail. You have a great product or service but not the manpower, finances and haven’t fixed any bugs that will happen. If you were to start off slowly and steady finances would come in slowly, allowing you to grow in the best way. Any manpower that you need will come available as you slowly grow and any issues that will arise can be fixed without hurting your business too much. My favorite saying I follow is a popular quote about patience and perseverance, often attributed to Abraham Lincoln, is: “Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.” This saying acknowledges the value of patience and waiting for opportunities or rewards, but it also suggests that while patience is important, actively pursuing your goals is crucial. The last word of advice is do what you love. “If you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life.” You will also push more, and your passion will show through your product or services.
Mother’s Day is around the corner. Take us through the amazing products you offer.
Bri Candles has several gift options to choose from for Mother’s Day. The most popular is “Bri’s Flowers”. It comes in 3 styles, being a single rose, small bouquet and even a large Dozen Roses or Flowers. Another gift idea is “Mother’s Day Gift Box”. Mother’s Day gift box includes: 13oz candle, Wax Melt, Body Butter Stick and Car Diffuser. You can also choose the “Spa Gift Box” to give to her help to relax after a long day or week. This box includes: a 6 oz candle perfect size for any bathroom, Natural ingredient bar of soap, Natural Sugar Scrub, Body Butter Stick and an extra free item to make the box more special. Each one of these products are completely customizable. You get to choose her favorite fragrance, colors and more. If you want to put a special touch on an item we also offer “Create-a-Candle” you can design a candle by choosing fragrance, colors, toppings, decorative pieces and can even name it. If these are not enough you can sign her up for “Bri’s Box of the Month” or even give her a gift card so she can shop for herself. Mother’s Day is a very important day that we all need to celebrate the women in our lives not just because they are mothers but due to our world being a better place because of them.
Share your fun candles in the spirit of Texas and what you love the most about Texas.
I have created 2 candles regarding Texas, so far. The first one is “Texas Spring” and the next one is “Yellow Rose of Texas”. “Texas Spring” is more of a place setting. Bridgett used to sit outside on our porch drinking lemonade or tea while smelling the sweetness of wild lavender blowing in the wind. The inspiration behind “Yellow Rose of Texas” was due to Bridgett being born in TX. The candle is made with Eucalyptus for the bottom, Oakmoss for the whipped topping and rustic rose fragrance for the gel wax yellow rose. The fun fact about the yellow rose of Texas is the fact that it’s not a rose at all, but more a flower from a cactus. We are not a desert state, but cactuses do thrive here because of our soil and weather. There are several reasons why I love Texas. First and foremost, it is mine and my family’s home. People here are so down to earth and love to help each other. Texans are truly a different breed of people. We love cookouts, hanging out with family and friends, you never meet a stranger in a small town, we love helping people and we enjoy life to the fullest. The other thing I love about Texas is the weather. Yes, our summers are a bit hot to say the least, but spring and fall are by far the best times of the year in my opinion. You can be outside all day enjoying gardening, cook outs and so forth. Our winter is very short, and we hardly ever see any bad weather other than a couple days a year.
Take us through your Elijah Collection (The Men’s Collection.)
One of the things that I have noticed is that there are not enough candles made with men in mind. I created the Elijah Collection for that purpose. Every item in this collection is hand picked by my husband. From Whiskey on the Rocks to Model A, it’s all about the aromas that are manly. Our collection has 3 basic guideline aromas: Woodsy, Leather and Musk. These 3 aromas are what most men love. Also, because men are unique and love sports and living life to the fullest, I created a candle that is completely customizable called “I’d rather be…” I wanted to be able to help them design a candle with their passion whether it be fishing, riding motorcycles, hunting, football, soccer and so forth. It is also a great idea to give to the man in your life an unforgettable gift for their birthday, Christmas, Father’s Day or just because.
You offer natural bath essentials, room sprays, subscription gift boxes and more! Take us through what we can find at Bri Candles.
When you visit our website, you will find a wide range of items that are available. From natural bath products such as bars of soap, whipped tallow cream, sugar scrubs, whipped foaming sugar scrubs, body butter sticks, beard oil, roll on perfume/cologne, natural bath tea bags, shower steamers and natural hand sanitizers that won’t dry out your skin. I also am about to release natural lip balm, shampoo and conditioner. Also, we make and sell items for men and women alike which are candles, wax melts, car diffusers, gift boxes for mothers, fathers, graduation, Christmas, valentines, and more. You can also find the perfect gifts such as subscription boxes and candles made for Holidays. We just launched our first Pawsitively Purfect collection with Paw-Pedi. It’s a natural alternative to help your pets’ paws when cracked or dried. It’s made with ingredients that are safe for dogs and cats. It can be used on their paws and cute little noses. It won’t just stop there! I will be creating natural products such as dry shampoo, dog shampoo and cat shampoo plus more.
What are your plans for 2025?
The goal for this year is simple. Growth! I’m dedicating the first part of the year to making my online presence stronger. By advertising and growing my product base, I will get more sales and return clients. I plan on opening a brick-and-mortar store by the end of this year or by next year’s holiday season around September 2026. With this I will be able to hire staff to help market and manage the store. Also, by expanding the customer base, I will be able to quit my full-time job and get to focus all my energy into growing this to my ultimate goal of having several store locations and including a manufacturing facility.
Website: https://bricandleshop.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BriCandlesShop
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bricandleshop/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bricandles
