Initiative Spotlight: Lights on Chinatown
Tell us who you are!
We are Alice and Matt - two good friends who have known each other for almost 10 years. Although we were born and raised on opposite coasts of the U.S., Asian American identity has always been at the center of conversation for us. Matt grew up in the suburbs of San Diego while Alice grew up in the newly bustling Asian community in Brooklyn. They met in New York City in their early 20s and have always wanted to create something that represents them.
How did Lights on Chinatown get started?
We had been exploring scents and iterating on an Asian American candle concept for quite a while. In one of our long-distance phone calls (Alice currently resides in Singapore and Matt is in New York) back in March, we discussed how the pandemic was impacting our daily lives and Matt described how devastated the Chinatown community was. We then put the two together and decided to create candles that would directly benefit the Chinatown community.
What was the inspiration behind the two scents you’re making?
When Matt first moved to New York City he lived across from Columbus Park. This was the same park that Alice and her friends hung out after class in high school. We wanted our scents to represent specific memories of what we love about Chinatown. Matt wanted a candle that embodies the woody, smokey yet fresh scent of Columbus Park. Alice wanted a candle that embodies the sweet and floral scent of a candy that is synonymous with her childhood: White Rabbit.
How long have you been making candles? What sparked your interest in candle making?
We love candles because of the strong association between scent and memory - Matt still remembers the rum candle he burned when he first moved to NYC, and we’ve also gifted each other candles over the years to celebrate life events like when Alice moved to the West Coast. One gap we noticed was that there were no candle brands dedicated to scents that are uniquely Asian American. So we started exploring the idea of what such a candle could smell like earlier this year. Alice took a candle making class in Singapore and would send scent formulations to Matt in New York for feedback.
What compelled you to start your fundraiser for Chinatown initiatives?
We were inspired by these initiatives we were seeing on Instagram and wanted to give back in a way that is meaningful to us while creating a new Asian American cultural product. We hope that lighting our candles will evoke memories of Chinatown when you can’t be there.
What do you love most about Chinatown?
The businesses in Chinatown. The community gathers around this and is the core of the bustling vibrancy of Chinatown that we love.
How can people support you and your craft?
Donate to @lightsonchinatown on Venmo and get one of our candles! Suggested donation of $25 per candle.
