Rising Stars: Meet Erica Collins of Denver

Today we’d like to introduce you to Erica Collins.

Hi Erica, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
LUME was born from a good ‘ol family bet during the lockdown days of quarantine in 2020. Erica and her pup, Koa, were living in Aspen. Like others, Erica was feeling bored with all of the extra time she had on her hands. “I looked around my apartment and tried to come up with ways to entertain myself. I saw my empty candle jars and that’s when I ordered a bunch of wax and decided to learn how to make candles.”

After a few weeks, Erica figured out how to pour candles and mix fragrances and she started sharing them with her quarantine pod – her two brothers who also lived in town. Well, they shared them with their girlfriends, who shared them with their friends, and you get the idea.

The siblings met up for a family dinner one night, and as family dinners with brothers usually go, the conversation quickly descended into sarcastic insults and loving jabs.

At this point the brothers teamed up and challenged Erica,

“WE BET YOU CAN’T SELL YOUR CANDLES FOR MONEY”
In a flash and full of liquid courage, Erica replied,

“DEAL”
A few days later LUME was given its name, a website and an online store. There were over 28 orders in the first 12 hours and Erica had successfully won the family bet.

Erica is still proving her brothers wrong today, LUME is still in business, and proof that a good ‘ol family bet can never be taken too far.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s been a fun and adventurous road with its fair share of challenges so far!

One of the biggest obstacles has been trying to balance and stock a healthy inventory supply while living in a studio space. We run pretty lean and we don’t rent any storage spaces at the moment. I stock and ship from my studio apartment, and so inventory keeping has been like a constant game of tetris, which can be rather comical on most days 🙂 Maintaining a good sense of humor is key!

Aside from that, I’ve also had to deal with the challenges of learning how to own and operate a small business. This is my first business and so everything is new to me, which is challenging but also wildly exciting. I thrive in challenge and love using my resources to overcome those challenges – specifically my community. I’ve leaned heavily on my community for support and guidance and when I get to learn from individuals I look up to I get really jazzed up!

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I own and operate LUME – a non-toxic and all natural candle company.

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I love the collaborative energy of Denver. For the most part, this city has an open and welcoming vibe with good people looking to connect and grow. Networking here has been less of a forced effort and more of a natural progression within a community open to sharing experiences and resources.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lumelumelume.com
• Instagram: lume__candles

Image Credits
Jenna Dailey Nikki Hausherr