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šŸ•Æļø This local knows how to keep things lit

Today weā€™re sharing our talk with Colina Bruce, the CEO of the candle company Noir Lux.Ā She started pouring candles at theĀ beginning of the pandemicĀ and has since grown her passion into a small business, which has a brick and mortar in Belltown. Personally, Iā€™m loving theĀ Noir Lux websiteĀ motto that says ā€œLifeā€™s short. Order that Candle. Stay Lit.ā€

Colina is a lifelong Seattleite with a passion for our summers, Seafair and setting up fun and unique spaces for people of color to build community. Let’s hear about it!

Local to Know: Colina Bruce

Who are you? What do you do?Ā 

Iā€™m the CEO ofĀ Noir Lux

Wax poetic for a minute and tell us: what brings you most alive about this city?

The “wax”! Just kidding, I am a Seattle native. I love that our city is immersed with culture at every turn. Also, Seattle summers are my favorite and unlike anywhere else in the country.

What’s your favorite Seattle memory?

Seafair weekends are definitely tied to some of my favorite Seattle memories. Growing up, my uncle’s house was across the street from Seafair, so he used to have parking on his lawn, and then a huge stand where we sold ice cream, soda, candy, etc. It was something I looked forward to every weekend; selling stuff, meeting new people, watching the blue angels and watching all of the hydro planes roll by at the end of the weekend. As I got older, I got to do Seafair on the water, and that’s also a pretty epic experience. This year, my daughter is marching in the Seafair parade, so it’s pretty cool to have those traditions continue from generations on.

If you could eat only one meal from a local restaurant for the rest of your life, what would it be?

I could eat the oxtails and plantains fromĀ Red LoungeĀ every day.

Outside of the obvious stop above, share your other top three destinations for where youā€™d go on your perfect Seattle day.

Noir Lux Candle Bar (šŸ˜‰),Ā CommunionĀ for brunch and a picnic and paddle board at Seward Park.

Whatā€™s your favorite local social media account (Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, or etc.) to follow and why?

@noirluxcandlecoĀ ā€” We share candle care tips, local events and happenings in Seattle, and we offer some cool candle pouring experiences.

@janellebentleyĀ -ā€” She shares things to do and places to eat in Seattle.

If you could give any one piece of advice to locals, what would it be?

Take a day to be a tourist in the city! Often, we haven’t visited some of the gems in Seattle because we live here or pass them every day.

How does Seattle help you do what you do?

We are a candle bar rooted in good vibes and nostalgia. One of our top selling candles is Seattle Summer; it was crafted to capture the amazingness that summertime in Seattle offers. Being a black woman in Seattle influences me to want to create fun, safe, unique spaces for folks of color to gather, network and build community. We see our candle bar as much more than candles ā€” it’s a gathering place and hub for experiences, opportunities, connections and more.

Whatā€™s an unpopular opinion you have about the city?

It’s ok to use an umbrella in Seattle.Ā šŸ˜€

What are you looking forward to this year?

I am looking forward to the growth of Noir Lux as a premier candle and event destination in Seattle. I’m also looking forward to summer nights on the rooftop with good company.