How is it already October 2021?

Earlier in the year when I was still pregnant and waddling around, October seemed so far away. I piled quite a bit on my plate thinking there was plenty of time to get everything ready...yet here we are! Ahhhh!

Two big things coming up this month!

18 - 24 October I’ll be at John Lewis Oxford for the week. Last month Cheltenham was an absolute treat so I’m really looking forward to being in Oxford. Plus Sam should be around so I won’t have to force the little one to come along this time :)

30 October is the UK Black Business Show! Rescheduled from 2020, UKBBS highlights the achievements and contributions black businesses have made to the UK economy. It should be a great way to wrap up Black History month this year and another event I'm really looking forward to.

Over 150 brands will be exhibiting along with us at the QEII Centre in London. 9am to 6pm.
We'll be at booth #E24

Find out more here :)

If you’re a Young Mary’s regular you may have noticed some changes from us in the last week or so - mainly with our prices.

As with most other business in the UK, in the past year we’ve seen a stark increase in the cost of the raw materials we use to create Young Mary’s. While occasional price hikes are inevitable and we usually absorb these extra costs, it’s simply not feasible to do this anymore. The price jumps cut across the board - from wax to oils, labels and jars - and unfortunately the time has come to pass these costs on to all of you.

I don’t do this lightly. I want my candles to be affordable and very much appreciate the support Young Mary’s has been shown the past three years. I hope you’ll all understand and continue to help Young Mary’s mission of spreading joy and love from Africa to the world.

Our new price list is listed below. Changes will be effective as of 1 October 2021, and will be across the board with all of our partner retailers as well. In the meantime, please use the code ‘YMREGULAR’ for 20% off any purchases on our website between now then.  

Thank you all, truly, for your continued support. If you have any questions or want more information about what we're up to/why we're doing this - shoot me an email: info@youngmarys.com

-Lola

Hello Cheltenham! ​

That’s right! It’s been a long time coming but Young Mary’s has finally made it...to John Lewis that is! Over the next two months we’ll be popping up in Cheltenham (13 - 19 September) and Oxford (18 - 24 October) :)

Can we get a woot woot??

Naturally, we have a lot to do in the meantime so it’s all hands on deck at Young Mary’s HQ. In the coming weeks Sam, my mom, my sister and even in laws will be lending a helping hand. Heck, I’m sure I’ll find something even the baby can do! It’s a really big opportunity for us and I’m so excited about it! If you’re local to either store, we’d love to see you! 

The sun is shining and England is finally out of lockdown! What does this mean? Young Mary’s is headed back on the road to do what we do best! Markets and pop up events were our bread and butter before the world changed in March 2020. It’s been a long slog since then but here in the UK some sense of normality is finally back. 

A new baby means I can’t quite hit the ground running as I’d like, but we’ve managed to fill our calendar with some exciting events to wrap up the second half of 2021. 

Our first stop? Manchester! 

31 July we’re headed to Manchester for the BOBExpo Manchester - a place to discover black owned buinesses in the UK. We're heading up as part of the Jamii team. Young Mary’s will be joining a handful of other Jamii partners so if you’re in Manchester come show us some love :)

​May 2021 has been a pretty exciting time for us at Young Mary’s HQ but of all the accomplishments we’ve made to date, we think this one tops them all! 🍼 

Please join us in welcoming the newest, and by far the cutest member of the Young Mary’s team who finally decided to join us earlier this month! Lola will be taking some time off after this week’s pop up in London to welcome the little guy properly. We still have quite a bit available through the website but if things start looking sparse, don’t worry, you can still get our candles through our online and in person partner retailers - all of whom are listed and linked below. 

In the meantime, we’ll be back soon, bigger and better than ever! 👶🏾 

London: Diverse Gifts
Bristol: Prior Shop 
Glasgow: The Vegan Kind
Gloucestershire: Bloom Wellbeing
Wiltshire: Spacecraft Westbury

Online: Jamii, Vectis Karma, Ishq

#lightamatch #strikeaconversation #wellbeback

Spring is a time of new beginings and it's in that vein that Sam and I have some news we'd like to share. The Young Mary's family is growing! And not in the usual way!

We'll be adding a new and permanent member to our team in the coming weeks and we couldn't be happier about it.

To celebrate properly we've also decided to team up with Nigella Boutique home of beautifully curated hampers for mamas to be and their little ones. Created by Leana, her hampers provide a balance of products for baby and mama whilst focusing on supporting Black and ethnically diverse businesses.

We thought it'd be the perfect way to celebrate this new milestone and enjoy a little pampering before things get very very real.

Wish us luck!!

Lola xx

It’s been a long long winter, but it seems we’ve finally made it out to the other side. UK lockdown 3.0 (or was it 4.0) is just about over and we’re celebrating the best way we know how! 

Along with 11 other small businesses, Young Mary’s is heading back to Boxpark Shoreditch for another round of Inspired By Africa. For one month (12 April - 9 May 2021) we’re heading back to London to bring music, vibes, and good times to all you well deserving people. So come and enjoy our unique Pop-Up experience!

And yes, we’re bringing the Afro beats! 

Unit 15
Boxpark Shoreditch 
12 April - 9 May 2021

You can find all the participating brand on Instagram:
@Inspired__by__Africa
​@afi_akos
@african.chica
@blacknificentuk
@jobili_active_wear
@kese_cushions
@leanne_creative
@monas_collection_
@rufinadesigns
@simplygracetots
@shimiroseuk
@itsyoungmarys