Denequa Williams-Clarke is a candlemaker, community organizer and wellness advocate, but before all of this, she is a proud New York City native. “I am from Brooklyn,” she says. “To get specific, I’m from Flatbush, not what’s being rebranded as PLG [Prospect Lefferts Gardens] but Flatbush.”
The daughter of immigrants from Guyana, Denequa represents how that quintessential NYC grit and hustle beget success. Her candle and wellness brand, Lit Brooklyn, has garnered a cosign from Beyoncé and collaborations with major brands like Nike, making her from-the-bottom-up story look glamorous. Read on to learn more about this rising entrepreneur.
Growing up, did you think you would end up making candles?
Denequa Williams-Clarke: My mother used candles just for decoration, so no, I never saw this for myself. I did see entrepreneurship throughout my life though. My dad had a shipping company for 30 years before he passed away, and my maternal grandmother was a seamstress for her entire life, so I saw being a business owner as something that I could do. But I had no idea it would be making candles.
What was your journey to get here?
DWC: I don’t know when the term “self-care” was coined, but in college I would stock up on candles, and I think that was my version of self-care. I would light my candles to get through writing my papers, making dinner. It wasn’t until I graduated, came back to NYC and worked for other companies that I told my husband, Khiry, who was my boyfriend at the time, “I think I want to start a candle company.” Being the avid supporter that he is, he jumped in and said, “Sure, let’s do it!” So what started off as a hobby turned into a full-on business.
You consider your brand a wellness company, not just a candle or fragrance business. What does that mean to you?
DWC: I think that anything that you do is an extension of yourself, and I’m very conscious about what I bring into my home and what I put into my body, which is basically how I manage Lit Brooklyn. It’s like a way of life.
When I got into making candles, I did extensive research because creating candles is more than just a fragrance, getting some wax and pouring it. I found out that products from a lot of the brands that I was using were toxic. I wanted to create a product that I would be proud of and that I knew was safe to be used in your home and didn’t put your health at risk.
Being a Black woman, there are a lot of factors that affect our health disproportionately, one of them being endocrine disruptors. This stuff is in everyday household items, like dishwashing liquid, detergent and candles, that we don’t think can harm us.
If you take care of yourself, you’re better able to take care of your community, and that is really a great meaning of wellness.
What do you keep in mind in terms of wellness or sustainability for your products?
DWC: The wax is sustainably sourced. The wicks are 100 percent cotton. The fragrances have no parabens. There’s nothing toxic inside. Even down to the shipping—it’s all recyclable. The intention is there every step of the way. With Lit Brooklyn, the people, the community, the world and the environment are always being considered.
Do you remember your first sale?
DWC: My first sale was at my launch party, December 5, 2017. I intentionally had it at a Black woman–owned establishment in Brooklyn called Ode to Babel. I had three scents, which are still available to this day. They are like the OG staple scents—1989, Home and Muse—and the first one to sell was 1989.
How does NYC inspire what you do?
DWC: New York City was built on the backs of immigrants. When I keep that in mind and think about what it took for people to get here and make it here, that’s inspiration. My mom came to this country and worked her way up, which is the story of so many people. When you think about that, it’s hard to give up; it’s hard to not try your hardest.
You partner with a lot of NYC-based brands on products. What are some of your favorite collabs?
DWC: I partnered with Mikey Likes It Ice Cream. He wanted to have an extension of his two top-selling flavors: Ice Ice Mikey, which is vanilla, and Southern Hospitality, which is his play on butter pecan. That was a great one because Mikey’s story is so inspirational.
I collaborated with my friend Ashlee Muhammed and her shop and lifestyle brand, BeEyeConic. She’s from Harlem, and it was a great opportunity to show the unity between Brooklyn and Harlem for a larger NYC collab.
My friend Tatiana Elizabeth has a brand called SkinButtr. We collaborated during the pandemic on a set that included a butter, a scrub and a candle. She focuses on natural products and sustainability as well, so there was so much synergy.
Do you have any dream collaborations?
DWC: I’m a big Jay-Z fan. He said in an interview a long time ago that anywhere he goes, he likes the room to smell like certain fragrances, one of which was amber. I love that he has specific scents that he enjoys, and I’d love to collaborate with him on a candle that brings those notes to life.
That would be amazing. Until then, what are your top career moments?
DWC: Lit Brooklyn was featured on Beyonce.com. It’s giving, “You know who I am!” That was huge.
My mom has always been a big reader of Essence magazine. I was featured in its “50 Founders to Watch.” That was major. I didn’t tell her that I was going to be in the magazine. I just watched her aimlessly flip, and when she saw me, that felt amazing.
I’ve also worked with some pretty big brands: Nike, Carol’s Daughter, Truly Original Lemonade. I have an upcoming collaboration with Grand Marnier that I’m excited about as well.
Tell us about your Motion series. Why did you start it?
DWC: Motion is an event series. I partner with dope entrepreneurs who happen to be my friends, and our visions and communities come together to have in-person experiences usually tied to wellness or learning something. But it’s always rooted in community and meeting new people.
We’ve done workouts, yoga, cooking classes, a tasting in which we learned about the history of rum, a tea-making class. My business is primarily e-commerce, aside from pop-ups, and I want people to know that there’s a real person behind this who appreciates you spending your hard-earned money on a product that I created. People coming out and supporting these events means the world to me.
What do you see for the future of Lit Brooklyn?
DWC: I just want to continue to make dope products, expand the product line outside of candles—maybe incense and room sprays—and be one of the pillars of the community.
Shop Lit Brooklyn here.
