CHESTERFIELD, Va. -- A still small voice led Terry Brown to her new business. The idea came to her as she was throwing away a candle.
"I went to throw it in the trash and as clear as I am talking to you, I heard God say to me 'candle'. I had no idea what that meant. I mean, absolutely no idea so, I called my 34-year-old son and said 'hey, what can I do with a candle?'" Terry said.
She and her son did some research, leading Terry to open the Brown House Candle Company, a place where memories are created through smell.
"We are Richmond's first custom scented candle shop. You can come in and pour and create your custom candle scent," she said.
Terry followed her intuition and left her day job to pursue her passion.
"I always get teary-eyed when I tell this story because it's like my heart. I have heard God speak before, but he never sent me something so clear. Then he just paved the way for everything," she said.
She opened Brown House Candle Company in May with premium oils, decorative vessels and a creative process for customers to enjoy.
“Everything just kind of flowed so easily. It was the hardest process, but the easiest process at the same time," she said.
Terry did most of the renovation work by herself.
"Every experience that I've ever had in life led me here. These trays I designed myself, you know I was playing around with resin for a while. I was able to stain the bar, and you know, nail down the trim and hang all the shelves and paint the ceiling towel and you know just to decorate," she said.
A labor of love that almost cost her a piece of her heart. Terry's husband wasn't sure about the idea at first.
"This thing was so strong in my gut. It was so clear that it's what I had to do. We ended up having to separate for a period of time," she said.
She followed her inner voice and her relationship with her husband was restored.
"Sometimes you've just got to do what's right for you and then everything else will fall back into place," she said.
Terry chooses to share that part of her journey because she wants people to be inspired to follow their hearts.
"Fear stops us from doing so much. It's the fear of the unknown, or what if I do this, or if somebody else’s perspective tells you not to do it, so you don't. But in actuality, you doing that could have been the best thing," said Terry.
Her bold and brave actions are helping families connect at her store.
"I see mothers and sons come in, and we are talking 13 and 14 year-olds, and they are blending a candle together and you just know that when they are burning that, that smell is going to stay with them. It's going to remind them. It's just beautiful to be a part of that," she said.
As more customers come in to make candles and new memories, Terry has a hunch all will continue to go well at her new shop.
"I think that as the word gets out we'll do really well. There is no fear, there is no concern."
You can learn more about Brown House Candle Company by clicking here.
