THE LARRABEE STORY

In December 2010, I took a candle making class with friends. I bought some equipment and supplies to make a dozen scented soy wax candles as holiday gifts.  But that plan got delayed.

At that time, my friend hired  me as a story producer for "Real Housewives of New Jersey." It was a great opportunity, so this Jersey boy packed up and drove east. I planned to return in a few months so I kept my apartment on Larrabee Street  in West Hollywood. But that plan would also be delayed.

I spent the next few years in NYC focused on my television career as a storyteller and having fun. I got to work on great shows like "Season 25: Oprah Behind the Scenes," "Long Island Medium," & "Moonshiners."

Eventually, I took a job in Austin, Texas. I loved the city and had high hopes for the job and my future there. But it quickly became apparent, I was in the most unhealthy work environment of my career. I finally quit, but my mental health had taken a toll. As I struggled with severe depression and anxiety, I used my time left in Austin to take some classes like coffee barista basics, chocolate making and candle making (once again).

In 2019, I was back home on Larrabee Street in West Hollywood, CA. At that point, I didn't want to go back to my career in television. I had completely shut down creatively. That's when I stumbled upon the box of candle making supplies & equipment I had purchased nine years earlier.

I finally made those candles and the process allowed me to focus and provided a break from the anxiety and depression I was still struggling to manage. Making candles had turned out to be more than a hobby, but a calming tool for healing as well.

Inspired by my love for vanilla, that first candle smelled like baking cookies. I found myself buying more wax & experimenting with fragrances. The next was an evergreen scent inspired by family's Christmas tree farm in upstate New York. Eventually, those became the first two LARRABEE candles named "Get Baked" & "Snowridge."  Before I gifted those candles, I decided to include the story about what inspired each of them.

Months later, I realized I had instinctually returned to what I missed most from my television career, storytelling. Each new scent had a story, and I loved the that I could create candles that have a personal connection from the very beginning.

LARRABEE just sort of happened, but not by accident. It was born out of  struggle, desire for change, and the need to re-kindle creativity. It's an endeavor I never planned, yet was working towards all along. 

I want every candle to be like that very first batch I poured -- a personally inspired & thoughtfully crafted gift made for you to enjoy in your home.

-Jeffrey