Meet Tami Lewis: Founder & Creative

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tami Lewis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tami, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
My business was born out of my desire to spread love, light, and compassion into the world. In recent years, it seems the world has been more divided than ever and I wanted to show people that we are more alike than we are different. I have always been someone who leads with a kind heart. I have also always been obsessed with great smells and the way a scent can uplift your spirit, awaken pleasant memories and take you to your happy place. I wanted to find a creative way to combine my love of scents and acts of kindness and compassion, and candles became my medium to do so.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Luv & Light Luxe products is a company dedicated to spreading more love and light into the world by supplying luxe quality hand-poured candles and wax melts. With multiple collections, we have a variety of scents, colors, and flavors to tempt and satisfy anyone’s palette. Each candle, wax melt, and fragrance spray is hand poured or handmade by myself. I have done the research and testing to craft candles that have unique and blended scents. We use a soy blend wax, wicks that provide a 45-60 hour burn life and a simple, yet undeniable scent. Each wax melt is named for a synonym of the word love. The fragrance sprays are designed to leave a long-lasting delightful warm aroma in any space. My educational training and employment are in the healthcare field. I chose healthcare because it allows me to be empathetic with patients and be a source of compassion in a time that they may need care and attention most. My candles allow me to do the same thing but in a creative way. I love the creative process, It allows me to make different scent blends you won’t find elsewhere, think of unique names for my products, and put a little love in everything I do. In addition to my website and shops on social media, I do pop up events and Farmer’s Markets. Those are my favorite because I have samples where people can smell the candles. It’s always a pleasure for me when someone’s eyes light up because they find a scent they love, then when they smell another and smile because they like that one too! I had a customer comment once that she could actually feel the love I put into my products, simply standing in my space and taking in my energy and atmosphere. That’s what Luv & Light is. It’s the love you feel that I hand pour into my products.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My favorite thing about Atlanta is that the city is what you make it. My family is from New York, and I’ve always thought Atlanta is a combination of New York City with a little bit of country. You can have the hustle and bustle of a big city, or find a cute little spot few know about OTP. I’m a social butterfly with amazing family and friends that I love spending time with. Atlanta has the touristy events, but I also love some of the hidden (or not so hidden) gems. We definitely have to see a production at the Alliance, the Fox, Horizon, or Actor’s Express theaters. Or grab a bite and a play at Shakespeare’s Tavern, where I volunteer. Because I’m an oddball and a big kid, we can stop by the Center for Puppetry Arts and check out the Jim Hensen exhibit-where I also volunteer. If it’s Labor Day weekend we can swing downtown for pictures of the great costumes at DragonCon. We can check out the colorful people-watching in Little Five Points, maybe eat at the Vortex and get a cool knickknack at Junkman’s Daughter. If it’s the Christmas season we definitely have to take pictures with The Grinch at Ponce City Market-one of my new favorite traditions. Depending on the season, I can have my friends volunteer with me at one or two of my favorite festivals, Taste of Atlanta or The Atlanta Food & Wine Festival, Both events let you lend a hand and get a great sampling of some of Atlanta’s best restaurants. Some of my favorite discoveries from the festivals (and my own exploration) are Fox Brothers BBQ (or Terrapin Taproom as it’s called in The Battery-another great stop), MOD pizza, Noodle, Bar Taco, or Eats on Ponce. Or I may even have a private dinner at the house catered by Chef Brandon Dukes or Chef RJ two of my local favorite Chefs. My friend Kevin has a company called Foottracks, where he can customize an itinerary based on what kind of activities you like, your favorite foods, your budget, and more. Because of his guidance I’ve been to movie screenings, festivals, picture pop-ups, great dinners at cool restaurants I hadn’t discovered, plays, and light festivals. I would definitely have him plan some activities for me and my bestie! Atlanta has so many things to offer, big and small and I like to at least try most of it. Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would definitely have to thank my mom and dad. My father passed away over ten years ago, I owe a lot of who I am to him. He taught me independence and pride in my creations and work. He also somehow knew the answers to every question (even before Google) so I attribute my endless capacity for useless information to him. My mom is a very kind person with an incredible talent for art of many kinds. She also has great leadership skills that she passed on to me. Additionally, I have a great group of friends that have supported my journey in many ways. Richard Gayle, DaNeisha Dukes, TJ Troutman, Vee Thirakul, Kari Burnell, Christian Haney, Seeketa Anderson, Cleatress Royal, Gregory Phillips, Delisha Brady, Jujuan Grady, Kevin Foote, Chimene Lewis, Fern Finney, Mario Dorsey, Nikki Gibson, Jonathan Calloway, & Michelle Williams-Dukes are just a few of my phenomenal support circle.

Website: www.luvandlightluxe.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/luvandlightluxe/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/luvandlightluxe
Other: www.pinterest.com/luvandlightluxe

Image Credits
Photo Credit: Rodney Smith of RS Photography imagesbyrs.com Hair Credit: Bre Hinnant, Sit Pretty Hair @queenbrehair