Leisha Pickering always wanted to find ways to give back. Even during one of the most difficult chapters of her life — recovering from a divorce while raising five boys — she was looking outward, searching for ways to make a difference.
When Leisha moved back to Mississippi and bought a farm near Canton, people from the surrounding community began stopping by, looking for work. She could offer odd jobs like mowing and fixing fences but couldn’t offer anything more sustainable. In a state that ranks as the poorest in the country, the need was real and urgent. It sparked an idea: What if she could create a business that would employ people in her community?
“One of the reasons that we started Musee was to affect change. There were so many people that needed jobs here, and so we came up with really simple idea,” Leisha recalled. “What is something that is handmade that we can teach people to make?”
Combining her background as a pastry chef in Washington, D.C., with her love for baths, Leisha launched Musee in 2011. She created her first set of bath bombs with a KitchenAid mixer, her French chocolate molds, and a lot of trial and error. The first bath bombs were little bunnies shaped by pastry molds lined up across her kitchen counter.
Today, Musee manufactures a full line of luxury bath bombs, shower steamers, salt soaks, soaps, and candles — all handmade at the company’s studio in Canton, Mississippi. The business sells products in the Amazon store, approximately 5,000 retail stores, on Musee’s website, and at international gift markets. Products reach customers across all 50 states and Canada, and there are plans to expand into Europe.
Musee began selling in the Amazon store in August 2020, starting with bath bombs and shower steamers. Jack Pickering, Leisha’s son and head of business development, drove the decision to bring the brand to Amazon after he joined the family business in 2019.
“We see Amazon as a true growth partner,” Jack said. “We’re able to manufacture quality bath products while Amazon allows us to reach new customers with speed, reliability, and convenience.”
Since launching, Musee has seen consistent year-over-year sales growth in the Amazon store, reaching over $300,000 in sales in 2024, which was its best year yet. The company currently lists approximately 25 products and plans to expand its Amazon assortment with new products like bath tablets and bagged shower streamers. The goal is to grow their Amazon sales to represent 15 percent of overall sales.
Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) has been the biggest game changer for Musee, according to Jack. FBA allows independent sellers to have Amazon handle storage, picking, packing, fulfillment, and customer service — at a cost 70% less than similar premium shipping options from other carriers. For a small business where everyone wears many hats, that matters.
“Fulfillment by Amazon takes the fulfillment off our plate so we can really focus on what we’re good at, which is manufacturing,” Jack said. The company also uses A+ Content to enhance product detail pages with rich visuals that help Musee stand out, and Amazon Ads to boost product visibility and reach new audiences, driving measurable upticks in revenue.
But throughout Musee’s growth, Leisha kept a promise to impact her community. Today, the company employs 50 full-time employees, many from vulnerable populations in Mississippi. Musee partnered with Crossroads, a nonprofit housed on the company’s property that provides transitional housing, therapy, and life skills to women leaving prison. Over 15 years, Musee has employed more than 500 women, many with felony convictions.
“I knew what it felt like to be vulnerable. I knew what it felt like to wonder what my future was,” said Leisha. “And now I work with a lot of women who are rewriting the story of their lives just as I did.”
The business also partners with local schools’ special needs programs and employs individuals with autism, Down syndrome, MS, and other disabilities.
Looking ahead, Leisha’s ambition is bold. She wants Musee to become one of the leading luxury bath companies in the country. International expansion through Amazon Global Selling, which enables U.S.-based sellers to reach customers across 22 international country websites, is actively in the works. Growing internationally, Jack noted, “would provide further sustainable employment at a local level in Canton, Mississippi.”
“Success looks different for a lot of people,” Leisha said. “But I think real success for me is measured by lives changed and hearts touched.”