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Entrepreneur opens downtown cosmetic boutique
 With
a solid background in corporate sales and a life long
love of makeup, Larissa McLaughlin has rediscovered that
her hometown is a great place to set up a new cosmetic
boutique business, the Blush Beauty Bar, at 29 Centre
Street in downtown New Bedford. Over 100 friends, family
and business owners attended a ribbon cutting ceremony
on Wednesday, June 6th to kick off the official opening
of the Blush Beauty Bar on June 7th.
“This is a place for women of all ages to come for
quality cosmetics, fragrances, and skin care. Men are
also welcome,” said Larissa. “People always want to feel
good about themselves and they like to feel comfortable
when selecting or learning about cosmetics. The Blush
Beauty Bar has an intimate, friendly atmosphere. It’s a
place for customers to relax, to play and to enjoy
themselves. Everything about this is a quality
experience – special and unique.”
Larissa, a New Bedford native, graduated from New
Bedford High School in 1995. She moved to Pittsburgh to
attend Duquesne University and majored in psychology and
health sciences, and lived there for many years before
moving to the Attleboro area. Recently she returned to
the city and saw new potential. “New Bedford is a great
destination place, a growing seaport with unique shops
and restaurants. I always wanted to be an entrepreneur
and now with my experience in corporate sales I have the
skills and confidence to do what I’m most passionate
about. It’s the right time to settle in New Bedford,”
she said.
Mayor Scott W. Lang said, “This is a niche business
venture that will draw a new customer base to the area
and will prove to be a positive addition to the downtown
business district. We welcome Larissa and wish her great
success.”
In pursuit of her passion for makeup, Larissa worked and
trained with M.A.C. Cosmetics as a makeup artist. The
cosmetic products found at the Blush Beauty Bar are
featured in Vogue, Allure, Glamour, Lucky and O. “We
carry everything from the everyday to the trendy. It’s
cutting edge from New York and LA,” Larissa explained.
The New Bedford Economic Development Council provided
financial support. “This start up loan is an example of
how a small business that meets our lending criteria can
take advantage of our assistance,” said NBEDC executive
director Matthew A. Morrissey. “Sometimes entrepreneurs
like Larissa need a financial boost to get them from the
idea to the actual business operations. It’s exciting to
see our clients arrive at the point of cutting the
ribbon.”
Clients can buy products, take makeup application
lessons to achieve the look they want, and have an
inventory check of their makeup bags. Larissa will sort
through and recommend products that blend with your skin
color and complement your best facial features, and help
clients find quality cosmetics made specifically for
them – everything from foundation to lipstick and from
anti-wrinkle agents to fragrance. Clients can schedule
individual appointments, after-hour parties and
on-location wedding service.
Mr. Morrissey said, “A diversity of small business
talent builds the economy. Larissa has brought another
example of the creative economy to our mix of
entrepreneurs and business owners.”
With a steady stream of customers in its first few
weeks, the Blush Beauty Bar is off to a success start.
Most popular has been the “make over”. “One man gave his
wife a birthday gift of a full ‘make over’ and stayed to
watch. Our men’s line is selling very well and we’ve had
several after hours parties. They’re a blast. Many women
have expressed appreciation for the one-on-one service
in a private, quiet setting. So far, I’m surpassing my
goals,” Larissa said. |
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