Out with the scold.
Four years into building BeauTeaBar, founder Marissa Waller is teeing up the boutique and e-tailer for expansion by changing its name to Aurum Rose Beauty and positioning it as a leading edge, results-driven beauty destination. The revamp tilts the store toward competing with upscale retailers, not natural grocers, through a focus on the benefits of what’s in its products and not distressing customers about what’s not in them.
“Aurum is the Latin word for gold. There is always talk about the gold standard. We are changing the standard to the rose gold standard for beauty,” says Waller. “People want the best, high-performance products without having to worry about bad ingredients. I don’t like having fear-based conversations any more. We are talking about the efficacy and uniqueness of ingredients, and how these products really do outperform anything you will find at department stores.”
In the context of Aurum Rose Beauty shoppers accustomed to La Mer, the emphasis on the effects of formulas makes perfect sense. They aren’t women wowed by a plant ingredient just because it once was in the ground. And the performance focus also follows Waller’s path to natural beauty, which she went down mainly to address stress-related skin issues and not because she was scared of parabens and phthalates. Spoiler alert: natural products resolved her issues.
“In April, before I realized I was pregnant – I’m seven months pregnant – I felt this crazy desire to throw away everything we have done and restart with a very clear vision taking into account what I’ve learned along the way. The negative, fearful aspect of this business was frustrating me, and I wanted to steer my vision toward the fun, amazing parts of this business. That’s when we started getting everything ready for this rebranding, “ she says. “With the rebranding and a new name, we are taking things to the next level.”
Over the last several months, Waller has been editing Aurum Rose Beauty’s assortment from 40 to 30 brands to ensure the spotlight is on offerings that excel. Bestselling brands include Vintner’s Daughter, Tracie Martyn and La Bella Figura. Aurum Rose Beauty is introducing Tracie Martyn facials priced from $150 to $300. Tea was a significant category at BeauTeaBar, and will remain at Aurum Rose Beauty, but the revamped store won’t concentrate on it as much.
When it comes to evaluating brands for Aurum Rose Beauty, looks matter to Waller. “Packaging is huge,” she says. “As soon as I get an email – and we get a lot of them – the first thing I think about is, ‘What is this going to look like on my shelf?,’” she says, elaborating, “It really helps if there’s a unique story from the founder or something that really makes the brand special and conveys the human side of it. It can’t be the same product that’s produced by everyone.”
Designed with architect Douglas Horst, Waller set up the store to be shoppers’ away-from-home living room. It contains an antique chandelier and antique chairs. “Customers come in here with a wide range of questions, and we can sit and talk for as long as you want about what products you are using,” she says. “We are not a department store. We are very small and intimate. Everything is very curated, and that’s important to me.”
Opened two years ago following the BeauTeaBar e-commerce site, the store is located in the small Long Island community Cold Spring Harbor. Although Waller was uncertain whether locals would take to BeauTeaBar’s concept, she’s been pleased by the response. Roughly 70 percent of sales are generated at the physical location. “At the store, we’ve been doubling our business every year,” she says. “I think it’s only going to grow infinitely more.”
Speaking of growth, Waller plans to open additional Aurum Rose Beauty locations, but won’t do so for at least a year. The company has been self-funded to date, and she’s considering the possibility of bringing on a partner to provide funding and expertise to support Aurum Rose Beauty’s spread.
“I would like for us to be the premier beauty store where people can come in and get educated by trained retail specialists who know the products and can get them everything they need,” says Waller. “People will no longer be talking about the fact that it‘s natural. It will be just the way we do things.”
