Happy Odelia Day! | July 9th, 2023
Perhaps one of my favorite events of the year (outside of Juneteenth) is Odelia Day! You may wonder, ‘what is Odelia Day?’. It’s a day (well, actually a weekend) of celebration for our beloved Gladys Odelia, who is ⅓ of Odelia, Marie, & Patrice (OMandP). At OMandP, we honor and commemorate her earthly contributions and decadent essence by showing appreciation for our customers via a yearly blowout sale–our biggest sale annually. Beyond the celebration and beyond the sale, OMandP would not be what it is today without Gladys Odelia Brown. Thus, i’d like to share what makes this day, memory, and weekend so special.
About Gladys ‘Odelia’ Brown
My grandmother Gladys “Odelia” Brown was born on July 09,1934. She grew up to be an outstanding woman, wife and mother. She was married to David C. Brown and had three children–David Brown Jr., Gregory Brown, and Joyce “Marie” Parrish, and two grandchildren–Dwight Parrish and Candace “Patrice” Parrish (myself). I became very close to my grandmother in the foundation of my life where my brother and I spent each summer until my late teens in Fayetteville, NC.
Young Gladys Odelia Brown in Baltimore in the 1950's.
These summer-long visits are where I learned about the true personality, character, and history of my grandmother. She taught me the ins and outs of self-care and maintenance. One of fondest memories is of her sharing her interest in soap and which brands are good for different areas of the body. For instance, she used Dove soap for the full body experience, but used Oil of Olay on her face because of its high moisture level. She knew quite a deal about skincare products and solutions as she also sold Avon and even won a sellers award. I also learned about fashion and cooking from my grandmother. I would watch her make recipes–seemingly simple but hard to recreate. Of course, there is so much more that I learned and experienced with Gladys Odelia. Perhaps most important, throughout my time with my grandmother I learned how to create with love and decadence, no matter the creation or journey.
Decadence and love are BIG keys to the success of the look and feel of the products that I create for OMandP. Without my time with the most decadent and loving woman in the world, I would have no foundation creating carefully sourced, rich, clean, and decadent products. Thus, I celebrate Gladys Odelia Brown for the woman she was and encouraged me to be.
When she passed away in August of 2006, I was 18. Her passing rattled my young world. For years I could not understand how someone who was so important to my life could no longer be here. Now, almost 17 years later, I realize that my grandmother is with me every day and in every step of the journey in creating OMandP. It feels so wonderful to know that she would be so proud of the mission from OMandP and our decadent line of products inspired by her essence.
In sharing this impact, three years ago I decided to create a day and weekend of celebration in her honor. When you purchase during this weekend, I invite you to step into our celebration of Gladys Odelia and really use this time to nurture and care for yourself in celebration–she would want you to! <3
Our 40% off sale will continue until Monday, July 10th, 2023. I hope you all enjoy the gift of OMandP. Thank you to all our lovely customers and tribe members who keep us inspired to continue onward!
Cheers to Gladys Odelia Brown!
Best,
Candace Patrice