Local Business Highlight: AIYA Detroit

We know first hand, when you shop small we do a little happy dance! We want to continue to share some of our favorite local businesses with you. Our final week featuring a Ferne team member. We interviewed Miranda, one of the owners of AIYA Detroit.

My name is Miranda, and the other half of AIYA Detroit is my fiancé, David. I have a background in managing small business operations, along with freelance marketing, while David has a degree in marketing. I would say that I am the more creative one in this duo, and Dave is the brains and brawn behind the scenes.

I absolutely love creating, and having an art form where the options are limitless is where a lot of my inspiration comes from itself. Coming from such different backgrounds works so well for us though, because it has allowed us to learn from each other. It’s always giving us fresh perspectives that we would have may not seen on our own. 

Our business was born from a hobby turned into an even bigger quarantine hobby, but then we saw an opportunity to utilize our combined skill sets and grow it into something so much more. We had also recently moved to the city of Detroit, and knew that we wanted to be involved with this city that we love in some way. 

 

We started our business from the heart of our home and are currently running an online store, where you can shop all things AIYA!

It would be awesome to one day be able to open a physical store in the city! In the meantime, we are working to evolve our collection to include a variety of home good staples, in addition to our candles and prints.

Being candle lovers ourselves, we enjoy the thrill of finding new scents. We put a lot of time and research into this, and only offer scents that we would burn in our own home. What drives us is our desire to come up with a scent that matches the feeling we want it to invoke. Our brainstorming sessions help spark ideas and challenge us to think outside the box. 

We currently offer Soy Wax Candles and Artistic Prints. We want our products to elevate your space, whether it’s you lighting a candle to indulge in a little self care, or your new art print being a top of discussion when you’re entertaining.

You can shop our collections on Instagram at @aiya_detroit or by visiting our website at www.aiyadetroit.com. We will be launching some new spring scents this week too, so follow us to stay in the know! 

Starting a business is a lot of work, but basing it around something you are already passionate about helps a lot. Another tip we would give is to start small. It’s easy to be swept away with grand ideas, but hone your practice and get into an established groove before you level up.