Birchbox, a beauty sample delivery service, has had an online business model only up until now. Now, they are opening an actual storefront in SoHo. Co-founders Katia Beauchamp and Hayley Barna are confident that the store, which will have full and sample-size beauty products, will be a success.
As Beauchamp said, “We set it up like an Internet store.” The store has 4200 square feet and has more than 250 beauty brands and lifestyle goods.
Creatively set up like an online store, customers shop by category rather than brand. So they shop for lip products, hair products, etc. and can test things out at the “Try Bar.” As a cute addition, they have a “BYOB” section, or “Build Your Own Birchbox” where customers can select five sample items for $15.
They will also have a makeup, hair and nails studio downstairs where women can come for a quick braid or a polish change.
Beauchamp and Barna are no fly-by-night business women. They met at Harvard Business School and their company is rumored to be worth about $500 million.
As Beauchamp said, “We’re really excited. This is the best way to discover beauty.”
