We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Cherece Mendieta. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Cherece below.

Cherece, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

I created my first lantern after one of the hardest moments of my life, losing my mom to cancer. When she passed I felt lost and I needed something that kept her memory close. Creating my first lantern became my way of holding on to her and her memory.

After making multiple for friends, I realized that many people needed the same kind of gentle reminder of love and memories that never leave.

After my first grandson was born I want to create something to represent joy, and celebration of something amazing and beautiful soU started creating uplifting and celebratory lanterns as well

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m Cherece the owner of Eternal Light Lanterns and Custom Creations LLC. I started this business after losing my mom and wanting to keep her memory alive. What began as a personal tribute grew into a passion of helping others honor their loved ones in a meaningful and heartfelt way.

Every lantern is handcrafted with care, compassion and attention to detail. I pour my heart into each design, creating pieces that reflect the spirit, memories and love that families hold dear and close to their hearts. My goal is to provide beautiful, comforting tributes to help keep their loved ones light shining.

Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?

Even though I personally craft each lantern, finding the right materials has been one of the biggest challenges. Quality is extremely important to me, and I want every lantern to reflect the emotional value behind it. While searching for the best suppliers, I quickly discovered that finding high-quality materials here in the United States was difficult. Many products weren’t durable enough, consistent enough, or didn’t meet the standard I wanted for my customers.

Because of this, I expanded my search globally — and I eventually found trusted vendors in the United Kingdom who offer exceptional quality. Their materials have helped me elevate the durability, appearance, and overall craftsmanship of every lantern I create. I continue to test and hand-select every component to make sure it meets my standards before it ever becomes part of a customer’s piece.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

When I began Eternal Light Lanterns and Custom Creations LLC, I thought the hardest part would be creating the product. I believed that once I started the business, everything else would fall into place, customers would find me, my work would spread naturally, and the process would feel straightforward.

But I quickly realized that starting a business is so much more than making your product. It’s learning how to market yourself, figuring out where to begin, understanding how to reach the right people, and trying every day to get your product in front of the world. Nothing about that part was easy. It took trial and error, late nights, research, setbacks, and a lot of determination.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: eternal_light_lanterns_
• Facebook: Eternal Light Lanterns and Custom Creations

Image Credits

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