Sparkle Sugar, the artistic power behind Coki by Cottage Variety, brings goals to life one candle at a time.
Picture by Tracey Khan
Coki by Cottage Kind affords a singular, artistic expertise for candle-making lovers. The charming venue combines artistry with rest, permitting guests to create personalised candles surrounded by whimsical decor. Whether or not you’re a novice or an skilled crafter, the area fosters creativity, making it a really perfect vacation spot for anybody seeking to discover their creative facet.
This distinctive dessert candle-making studio is in Mineola, Lengthy Island, New York. Sparkle Sugar, a second-generation Guyanese American, is the visionary behind the enterprise. She has remodeled her ardour for artwork and creativity right into a profitable enterprise.
Six years in the past, Sparkle began making dessert candles as presents for family members. “It began as a enjoyable experiment. We thought, ‘Why not invite others to affix the enjoyable?’ And other people liked it a lot that we simply stored rising and rising. At this time, her studio has grow to be the go-to vacation spot for candle lovers and anybody in search of a hands-on, artistic escape,” she shared.
At Coki by Cottage Kind, guests can dive right into a whimsy world with workshops past conventional candle-making. The studio focuses on dessert candles—candles that seem like candy treats and drinks—and in addition affords courses in physique butter making, fragrance crafting, and customized cellphone case design, she defined.
“That is candle making with a twist. Visitors can create candles that resemble candy treats, drinks, or something their creativeness goals up, mixing dessert-inspired designs with a contact of fantasy. Beyond candles, we additionally host courses for making fragrance, cologne, physique butter, and even customized cellphone instances; all centered round self-care and creativity. It’s a mirrored image of my American id and Guyanese heritage coming collectively,” Sparkle mentioned with a smile.
Sparkle’s Guyanese roots play a massive position in her enterprise. She credit her grandmother, who immigrated from Guyana to Brooklyn, for uplifting her drive to succeed. “She made so many sacrifices for her household. Even when she didn’t absolutely perceive my imaginative and prescient, she supported me. Her story motivates me to chase my goals and create one thing significant,” Sparkle mentioned.
Sparkle has confronted challenges as a Black lady entrepreneur, significantly with funding. “The most important problem I’ve confronted as a Black lady in enterprise is securing funding,” she mentioned. “Many funding alternatives don’t cater to us, and we face extra hurdles due to it. For this enterprise, it was a dream of mine, and my grandmother from Guyana believed in it. She supplied the funding for the area, telling me, ‘I see you’re dreaming massive, so I wish to assist you.’ I used to be so grateful she might try this for me, however I do know not everybody has that choice. I’d like to see extra funding alternatives particularly for Black-owned companies as a result of it’s extremely troublesome to entry these sources.”
Her dedication has led to numerous memorable moments, however one stands out. Sparkle recalled a younger woman who attended a workshop whereas coping together with her mom’s hospitalization. “She hadn’t smiled in months,” Sparkle mentioned, her voice breaking barely. “However that day, she smiled. That’s after I realized this isn’t nearly candles. It’s about spreading pleasure and therapeutic.”
With a background in advertising and marketing and journalism, Sparkle has skillfully navigated the challenges of entrepreneurship, staying forward of tendencies and leveraging social media to develop her model. “Social media has been a game-changer,” she mentioned. “However being progressive and setting tendencies is what retains us shifting ahead.”
Coki by Cottage Kind additionally affords cell providers for weddings, graduations, birthdays, bridal showers, and extra.
For Sparkle, all of it comes again to the individuals. “Assembly so many various personalities and seeing their creativity shine is the perfect a part of this journey,” she mentioned. “On the finish of the day, it’s about creating stunning recollections and an area the place everybody feels free to precise themselves.”
