Besa Gordon, Trae Holiday, DeAunte Damper, and Takiyah “T Dub” Ward of Converge Media stop by Noir Lux Candle Bar for a Black Business Uplift and team-building exercise.

#SupportBlackBusiness One of the businesses that recently reached out for a Black Business Uplift was Noir Lux Candle Bar, a Black-owned candle-making experience in Downtown Seattle. Besa Gordon, Trae Holiday, DeAunte Damper, and Takiyah “T Dub” Ward—stopped by for some team building and to show love to a thriving local business.

Colina Bruce is the CEO and founder of Noir Lux Candle Bar, a business she started in her kitchen in 2020 as a side hustle. Since then, it has grown into a full-time business with a brick-and-mortar location opened in 2022. Noir Lux Candle Bar provides a space for people to come and create their own custom candles while providing a warm and cozy environment.

The success of Noir Lux Candle Bar is something Colina is proud of. She has been able to create jobs, partnerships, and a space for other small businesses to start and grow. "The thing that keeps me going is understanding that this is bigger than me," Colina says. "So I'm going to figure it out by any means necessary."

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Colina's journey as a small business owner has not been without its challenges. “It can be very lonely, and there are moments when you feel like giving up,” she says. “There's also a lot of pressure to succeed because you don't want to let your community down. But then I think about all the people who have supported me along the way, and that gives me the strength to keep going.”

In addition to rising costs, minimum wage, and rent, Colina has said that the lack of foot traffic in the downtown area, especially after the holidays, has been a major issue for her business. "When I see other small black businesses closing, it makes me sad, it gives me anxiety, it makes me want to do my best to stay open."

Colina also cites the lack of parking and inconvenient parking restrictions as a major challenge for businesses in the Belltown area: “It sounds so minute, but if people are circling the block 1000 times, they’ll rather go home than keep looking for parking. And a lot of that has to do with some of these zones that are Metro zones… So we’ve had customers come in and park in those spaces and come out and their car is gone, which is not only sucks for the customer, but it’s bad for business. And half the time we don’t see Metro busses parking in those spots.”

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To alleviate these challenges, Colina suggests that the city create more parking infrastructure or adjust zoning restrictions, especially for businesses, and provide more financial resources like loans and grants to small businesses downtown.

Despite the challenges, Colina remains optimistic about the future of Black-owned businesses in Seattle. "I'm optimistic that we're not going to see black businesses closing, but we're going to see more opening and continuing to grow and thrive, and we're going to use each other to do that."

Colina emphasizes that there are many ways to support Noir Lux Candle Bar aside from visiting the store or making a purchase: “If you don’t have the capacity to shop with us or spend money with us, you can repost an event that we’re doing. You can tell somebody about us. If you work somewhere that has a professional development budget, keep us in mind… We can come to your house, we can come to your job. We can [meet] you in the park. We’re flexible in order to kind of, you know, make things work for the people who are supporting us.”

As a Seattle native, Colina believes in the power of community to drive progress: “It starts in the community, and we can only do what we can do by…putting our feet to the pavement and making it happen, and that happens by supporting each other.” She expresses gratitude for the support she has received and remains optimistic about the future of Black-owned businesses in Seattle: “I’m optimistic that we’re not going to see Black businesses closing, but we’re going to see more opening and continuing to grow and thrive, and we’re going to use each other to do that.”

This article is part of Converge Media’s Support Black Business Campaign. Please click here to learn more and support!

Noir Lux Candle Bar

noirluxcandleco.com

3020 Warren Pl

Seattle, WA 98121