Nirvana Candle LLC

We are two University of Michigan grads, and lifelong friends. We grew up in Troy, MI and became friends in high-school at Troy High. We lived together at U of M with a few other friends, and ended up getting an apartment together in Sterling Heights after graduating.

On a snowy day in late November, I was driving over to my parents' house for dinner. About 20 minutes into my drive, Mike called me and asked if I recalled blowing out a candle lit in our apartment earlier in the day. I couldn't remember, and he wasn't sure either.

I was just pulling into my parents' neighborhood when I pulled out my phone, hoping a few Google searches would put my mind at ease. It had the opposite effect. It seemed like there were endless links to horror stories regarding unattended candles, and I discovered the prevalence of candle fires in the United States. Candles are one of the leading causes of all house-fires, responsible for nearly 10,000 fires in the US yearly. The largest reason for them – a neglected candle.

I turned my car around, and drove home to double check. I ran inside, only to discover that the candle was extinguished, and all of my worry was over nothing. I made it back to my parents' as they were cleaning up dinner.

I shared my experience with some friends and family over the next few weeks, and many people could relate. Multiple people mentioned they wouldn't light candles in their room at night because they are afraid they will fall asleep while the candle is still lit. Others talked about how their family told their grandparents they shouldn’t light candles anymore, concerned that they will forget about them.

We set out to fix this problem – and Nirvana Candle was born.