Amy's Country Candles® was founded in 1999 by Amy Lassere.  As a young stylist 20 years ago, Amy opened Amy's Beauty Shop in her hometown. Ironically, Lassere initially offered the candle-making idea to a customer looking for a career change. When he passed on the business idea, the stylist-turned-candle maker decided to act on her own advice. "On that particular day, we were talking about him possibly making a career move. The first thing that came to my mind was candle-making," Lassere said. "He thought it was a good idea. He presented it to his wife and she flat out told him, 'No way!'" "I thought it was a good idea, so I researched it and started preparing to move into the market."

Amy started making her first candles in her home in Thibodaux, Louisiana.  Through research and experimentation, she created her most famous and best-selling candle, Amy's Vanilla Sugar Cookie™. Immediately, it was a big hit and people were begging for more!  Lassere tried balancing hair styling and candle-making simultaneously in the beginning, but it quickly proved too much to run a startup and keep a full-time job. That's when Amy's Country Candles got its start. The decision, she said, was literally a blessing. Amy’s love for mixing things, whether it is hair care products or triple-scented candle wax, has made her one of Thibodaux's most notable business leaders.

Eight months later, the business was large enough for Lassere to open an outlet in the Southland Mall, which began a string of new shops. In June she opened a branch in Esplanade Mall in New Orleans, and two months later she opened a shop at 410 East 7th St. in Thibodaux. In the year 2000, Amy opened seven stores and became one of the fastest-growing Louisiana manufacturers. The year 2001 saw Amy's Country Candles continuing its rapid expansion with three more stores -- one in Oakwood Mall in New Orleans, one in Cortana Mall in Baton Rouge, and finally a branch in the Rouses Supermarket on Martin Luther King. Because of the growth of her business, Amy Lassere has been recognized as the Louisiana Economic Development (LED) 2002 Lantern Award Winner for District 3.

Amy's stands above the rest because each candle is hand-poured with triple the amount of scent than regular candles. That was what caught the attention of the Ritz Carlton's New Orleans management. She was nominated for the Entrepreneur of the Year Award by the Thibodaux Chamber of Commerce in 2011. Lassere said one of the keys to her success is that she provides candles that cannot be bought anywhere else. Her personal recipes have been sought after all over the country and even worldwide. In 2014, she operated nine outlets across south Louisiana - in Baton Rouge, Covington, Thibodaux and Houma - as well as an internet store (www.amyscountrycandles.com) and a candle-making factory in Thibodaux. Add to that, the Ritz Carlton in New Orleans exclusively used and sold her "Gardenia" scene in its hotel.

Amy works hard to make sure her efforts are felt in the community. “I had to remember that I was not doing this for myself; I was doing it for my children and my community," Lassere said.  In fact, Lassere's generosity has earned her a reputation in the Tri-parishes. The biggest recipient of her generosity has been the MacDonnell House in Houma. What started out as a small, home-based business quickly grew into a huge empire, which continues to grow and thrive.

THE PROBLEM

Lassere fell sick in 2010 and had to close several of her stores and stop working with several retail partners. Over time, that took a toll on the overall financial status of the company and has restricted her from future growth. However, her mission remains to serve God first and foremost and take care of the community, while providing the best hand poured, triple-scented candles in the market.

20 years later and Amy's Country Candles is still one of the most requested candles in the Bayou Region. We have maintained our integrity in providing the best hand poured triple-scented candles in the market! However we can not keep up with the the demand for our supply at the moment and we would like to begin working with larger retailers such as Walmart, who has already requested us to apply as a vendor. 

Thank you for taking the time to hear my story. I appreciate all of your love and support. Every donation means I will have the opportunity to continue doing what I love which includes providing a great product to my customers and having the ability to serve my community and surrounding areas in an impactful way. Thank you! You are appreciated!

                                                                                                                     ~ Amy