Page 90 - Lighting Magazine June 2018

Business Spotlight
Bright Light Design Center recently opened in downtown Philadelphia.
9 out of those 10 ideas failed, and showed up every day to make this company be er. I am what I am because of hard work, not just because I was born with [the right] last name.”
The latest generation of the Bellwoar family ar- rived at Colonial in the early 1980s. By the end of that decade, the company had about 50 employees and plunged into the computer age well ahead of other distributors, making inventory control, or- der entry, and purchasing virtually paperless. The 1990s were signi cant for Colonial, as Bellwoar and his brothers took over, and more than tripled the company’s sales.
By the year 2000, Colonial debuted Bright Light Design Centers (BLDC), a progressive retail lighting division with Bellwoar at the head. He has since opened ve BLDC showrooms, and this latest one in Center City is the rst trade-only store in the company’s history.
“It’s a big undertaking, but I know we can do it,” he says, adding the new venture comes with a 12- year lease. “This company always looks into growth opportunities when they t. We are moving toward more intimate work with interior designers, and we need to o er them a showroom comparable to those in other major cities.”
“It’s a big undertaking, but I know we can do it.”
— David Bellwoar
Designed with the high-end penthouse life- style consumer in mind, the 1,800-sq.- . BLDC showroom is stocked with elegant lamps, mirrors, decorative accessories, and lighting products of- fered at various price points, including a whopping $90,000 Le Roi Soleil chandelier from French crystal manufacturer Baccarat.
“I gured, why the hell not?” he jokes. “Not every- one can a ord a Tesla, but there’s a reason everyone wants one — they’re exclusive, and for that reason, I’m pu ing a charging port on the back of our next location.”
Bright Light’s highly curated lighting displays are accompanied by stunning views of the Philadel- phia skyline, and intermixed with the latest in LED
David Bellwoar poses with the Bright Light Design team.
88 enLIGHTenment Magazine | June 2018
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