Rebecca Carrera: Maven Beauty Bar Is About More Than Beauty

written by: Zanne Lamb-Hunt

Rebecca grew up in Silver Spring. She and her husband have been married for 18 years. and are parents to three girls, ages 12, 10 and 5. They love to just stay at home. “We love to have all of our chicks in the nest and spend time with them.” That includes taking their chocolate lab for long walks.

Aside from spending quality time with her family, she enjoys being the owner of downtown Frederick’s Maven Beauty Bar. She wants everyone to know the benefits that are waiting at her E. Patrick Street shop.

* Maven Beauty Bar is a healthy beauty bar!

“We’re not just talking about how something feels and looks physically but how it functions internally within your body. There are certain ingredients in your over-the-counter or mass brands of cosmetics that are messing with your insides and doing different things to your body.”

* Educating The Consumer

“We talk about that and we talk about how to stay away from those things. And, how to do it with balance in today’s life.” For instance, if somebody doesn’t want to part ways with a favorite non-organic, non-natural mascara, that’s fine. “Stick with that but let’s change your cleanser, your moisturizer or something that is actually being soaked into your skin and into your body.”

* Healthy Living Is Promoted Through Local Partnerships

Yoga. Exercise. Taking Classes. “We do a lot of partnerships with local businesses to promote healthy living.”

* Get Your Bkr Water Bottle

“We sell something called ‘the bkr’ water bottle. They’re reusable glass bottles that are not only healthier for you, because you’re not using plastic that has toxins in it, but you’re being good to the Earth because you’re not buying plastic water bottles.”

Rebecca’s Journey From The Corporate World To Entrepreneur

“When we moved to Frederick in 2001, we fell in love with Downtown Frederick right away.” Rebecca recalls that there were a lot of antique stores and restaurants. “There weren’t many other boutique-type shops popping up. They had just started back then.”

She adds, “I knew there was definitely a need for it in Frederick. But, being in my corporate position, I couldn’t see myself walking away from the security of that job, taking a leap and opening my own business.” Still, she knew that she wanted to do it in Downtown Frederick “at some point.”

Rebecca took the leap four years ago. Maven Beauty Bar started in about 100 square feet inside of another store. The business grew and evolved, requiring yet another location while waiting for their current space to be renovated. They finally moved into their new store about a year-and-a-half ago.

What Led To The Startup Of Downtown Frederick’s Maven Beauty Bar?

“I wanted a place for women to come in to shop for makeup, skin care and cosmetics.” She continues, “I think when we go into department stores, it can be very intimidating to see the women behind the counter or trying to push something on you.”

“I wanted to have a place that was comfortable — that was like coming into somebody’s home…like hanging out with your girlfriends. A place where you could come into a casual atmosphere and not be sold things you don’t need.”

What Exactly Is A Beauty Bar?

“We don’t do hair. People always pop their heads in the door and say ‘What is a beauty bar? What are you doing here?’ The main service that we do is eyebrow threading and brow styling.”

“Threading is an ancient form of hair removal. It was started by the Indian and Asian cultures and has been done for thousands of years! So it’s a natural clean way of removing hair. Mainly we’re focusing on brows, but women may also want to come in to have their upper lip, their chin, their face or their cheeks done. That’s what we do as far as services go.”

“We also do makeup applications, makeup lessons, lessons on how to apply false eyelashes — but it’s all with a focus on ‘healthy beauty.’ Beauty products, skin care and makeup that’s free of known toxins and are either natural or organic. We do have several local brands that are made in Maryland that we carry in the store.”

“We try every single product that comes in the door. We don’t bring anything into the store that we wouldn’t wear or use ourselves. We’re not selling you anything that we don’t completely believe in, 100%.

Rebecca relies on Google to be there to deliver answers to the random questions that pop up. “I’ll see an ingredient in a cosmetic product that I haven’t seen before and I’ll Google it. I cannot live without Google!”

Rebecca’s Biggest Challenge In Transitioning To Entrepreneurship

“As a working mother, just trying to find that balance between three girls and a business. Small business ownership, entrepreneurship, is a ‘200% of your time’ job! And,” she quickly adds, “so is being a Mom. So juggling that and figuring out what I need to focus on and at what time. I had a tendency to swing the pendulum one way and back the other way.”

Having turned 40 at the end of last year, Rebecca has a strong sense that this is her year. “I really have come into my own and feel like I know how to have that balance. I can focus on each a little more equally. But, it’s definitely taken me four years to get there!”

“I’m realizing that time just goes by in a flash!” Being present for her kids and enjoying this time with them is a priority. “Staying focused on them has been a very important part of these first few months of the year for me. To try to kind of reset myself and get down to what is making a difference in my life.”

She gives this example. “That drive to soccer is so important. It’s ten minutes that you have one-on-one with your child. I make very good use of that time that I have in the car with them.”

Advice Rebecca Would Give Herself If She Could Go Back To The Start

“Be more confident! When I took that leap of faith and started my own business, I realized that the buck stops with me, and only me. And, everything coming in and out of the store is a reflection of me. So I wish I would have done it in maybe a bigger way and a little bit better way.”

“There are a lot of pieces to that puzzle of how I could have done it better. I always viewed myself as a very confident person but I realized, after starting the business, that maybe I wasn’t as confident as I thought I was. I wish I had started with a little more faith in myself.”

Making A Small Difference In People’s Lives

Rebecca believes she’s “making a small difference in people’s lives. I say small only because there are so many things going on in the world that are much more important than beauty. But, every time I read a great Yelp review or a great review on our booking system, it makes me feel really good about what we’re doing.”

“We’re helping women feel better about themselves, which in turn helps them feel more self-confident. We’ve given them a really great place to come and shop for cosmetics in a way that you really can’t anywhere else. It even makes me feel good that we’re helping young girls on their journey, starting with skin care…starting with makeup. It can be so intimidating going into a department store.”

“I’ve also built so many friendships out of this. Customers have become great friends of mine and some of my best friends.”

Inspiring Quotes From Rebecca’s Dad

Rebecca recalls her father saying two things that stood out for her as she was growing up. The first is “Never ever never give up.”

The second was said to her Dad by his own mother and he passed it along to Rebecca. “This too shall pass.” It’s a reminder that when she hits a bump in the road, personally or professionally, and it seems like there’s no way out — things can change in the blink of an eye!

Rebecca has two employees who have been with her consistently for the past two years. This means there are three ‘threading artists’ available during all of the hours that Maven Beauty Bar is open. They all do makeup applications, give makeup lessons and recommend skin care products.

Ready for your own healthy living experience? Call Maven Beauty Bar for an appointment or book through the ‘Services’ page on the website. (Please allow at least 15 minutes before coming in to be sure there’s an available spot. Ladies of all ages love this place!)

mavenbeautybar.com

118 E. Patrick Street
(240) 578-4192

Tues-Sat 10-5
Sun 12-4
Closed Mondays

Content Provided by Frederick Advice Givers Podcast Interview #038