Business Spotlight - MY Beauty

Among other things, multi-cultural demographics attracted entrepreneur Maureen Yancy to open MY Beauty, a multi-ethnic beauty supply store in Lilburn. MY Beauty opened its doors to the public this past Saturday, Sept. 24, with a grand opening celebration.

I knew this store had something special when I arrived to meet with Yancy. I was surprised when, instead of waiting for me to walk in, someone opened the front door and held it open for me. The bigger surprise was that it wasn’t just a cashier, it was the owner herself greeting me at the door. It’s not often a business owner is literally holding the door open for her customers.  

Maureen’s friendly smile, the jazz music playing in the background, and the upscale products on the walls were enough to show me that this wasn’t your average beauty supply store. MY Beauty offers not only exceptional products, but a comfortable shopping experience and personalized customer service.  

I had the opportunity to talk to Maureen about her business.

Patch: How did MY Beauty get its start?

Maureen: “I had been shopping at the same beauty supply store for years and spending a lot of money, but they had no customer recognition and no customer service. I didn’t like that. I come from an I.T. background where customer satisfaction is of utmost importance. “

Yancy also said she noticed the need for a comfortable shopping environment, so she started her research.

“I read everything I could get my hands on, I took classes. After 3 and a half years of research, I kicked myself in the butt and said ‘what are you waiting for’?”

Patch: Did you find it difficult to start a business during a rough economy?

Maureen: Not because of the economy. The beauty industry is recession proof, I lump it along with food and liquor. Women always want to feel beautiful. It’s a $9 billion a year industry.  

The challenging part was breaking into an industry that is predominately Korean owned. As a culture they saw a need and ran with it. They own the manufacturers and the retailers. This is in no way a negative statement, it is just a tight-knit industry and it was difficult to get the accounts with the suppliers.

I was blessed, I prayed on it for a long time, the funding I needed came.

Patch: Why did you choose this location?

Maureen: I looked at a lot of different locations: Roswell Road, Cumming, Alpharetta. I found this one through an ad on craigslist. I did my demographics research, and the demographics are very multi-cultural. This could not have been a better place.

Patch:  What can customers expect from MY Beauty?

Maureen: My vision was to provide an upscale but affordable product line. I feature upscale products like Lather, a product line of natural hair and body products. They have a store at the airport, and I’m the only other supplier in Atlanta. I also sell upscale products like Wella, Nioxin and Paul Mitchell.

I also wanted to provide a comfortable shopping experience. Other stores are so big, and sometimes there is no music, or too-loud music. The environment is not conducive to a pleasurable shopping experience.

Patch:  What does MY Beauty offer to the community?

Maureen: Immediately, going-back-to school sales, senior discounts, and good sales.

Eventually I want to offer a frequent buyer loyalty program, I want to provide small scholarships and a hair restoration or replacement for cancer patients. That is something that is really close to my heart. Many people have friends or family undergoing chemotherapy so it’s important to me.

I have so many dreams and ideas, I have to be patient with myself.

MY Beauty is located at 5550 Lawrenceville Hwy Suite 104 in Lilburn near the intersection of Rockbridge Rd. and Lawrenceville Hwy.