17-Year-Old Niyah Thompson Teams Up With Family To Run Pop-Up Candle Shop In Cherry Hill Mall
CHERRY HILL, N.J. (CBS) -- A local teenager is behind some custom creations, sure to leave you "hungry for more." You could say she has great business "scents."
CBS3's Wakisha Bailey has her story this week's Focusing on the Future.
These beautifully decorated cupcakes look scrumptious.
"I want them to look as real as possible like you can eat them," Niyah Thompson said.
But, you can't eat these desserts because they're actually candles. Thompson, 17, owns Dulce Candles, a pop-up shop inside the Cherry Hill Mall.
"I make everything by hand, so not everything is like the same," Thompson said.
It's a treat to have Thompson helping you to select an appetizing scented soy candle, but she's usually mixing up the next batch inside her studio.
"I have to whip it up like real frosting," Thompson said. "I tell people its like real baking."
And we helped with the process.
WB: "How many candles do you think you've made so far?"
Thompson: "Probably, about, I'd say close to 10,000."
Thompson, a recent high school graduate, has sold more than 10,000 candles each priced around $30 dollars.
She says her best seller is the cereal scented bowl of fruit loops, each loop is handmade with the help of her grandmother, her "Abuela."
"As we got bigger and bigger, she's like, 'I got it,'" Thompson said.
Her grandmother said she likes to help Thompson and wants to show other kids that their parents, grandparents can be involved in activities like this.
Like Thompson's mother, who is her entire sales team.
"It feels good, you know, to help my daughter," she said. "It's a family business."
Thompson is on the fast track for success. She already has other retailers inquiring about her selling her product inside their stores.
We wish her the best of luck!
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