March 20, 2017

Meet Yee-Lynn Chen of Beauty Maven in Little 5 Points

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Yee-Lynn Chen.

Yee-Lynn, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I grew up in Augusta, GA and moved to Atlanta to attend Georgia State University in 1999. I graduated with a degree in Communications and a Minor in Music Industry Management. After a year of being a bit career lost, I moved to New York City and attended Parsons New School of Design. While at Parsons I did a few internships with one of them being at Fresh. Fresh was my game changer and while I was working there I saw a path for myself in the beauty industry. Being a beauty junkie at heart, I really embraced the industry with arms wide open. After graduating with a Fashion Marketing degree I ended up working in Public Relations at Shiseido Cosmetics. While at Shiseido I was fortunate enough to work in PR as well as Training and Education. My experiences there were incredibly fulfilling, exciting, and wonderful. It wasn’t until 2013 when I found out my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. After 7 world wind years in New York, we decided it would be a good time to live closer to home. After relocating back to Atlanta I wanted to stay in the beauty industry. I felt that Little 5 needed a little bit of personal care love, and the boutique I created is a love letter to my experiences in New York.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
No road is every smooth. There are always twists and turns every way and nothing is ever anticipated. When I decided to open a store, the biggest hurdle was finding the perfect location. My broker was very patient with me during the year it took to find the right spot. Obviously, with a New York mindset, I wanted a small store front with heavy foot traffic. I feel with my budget and feel, I am very much at home in the Little 5 Points neighborhood. Also, there is a feeling when you have when you create something you think; “If you build it, they will come”, but that is certainly not the case. There are definitely days and months I still struggle and worry about if I can pay the rent on time and keep my lights on. These types of challenges are obviously the most stressful, but also the most fulfilling when you can keep doing what you love.

Beauty Maven – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I specialize in hard to find beauty products in the Atlanta area. I love finding brands that are niche and unique and introducing them to my customers. I am mostly proud of the research that goes into each brand I bring into the store. A lot of thought and consideration goes into each line that is presented in the store. I like to represent organic and non-organic brands. My theory is that organics are really great for young people and maintaining your current skin condition on the flip side non-organic brands are the products you want results from such as anti-aging, discoloration or wrinkles. You need the research for those ingredients to make these products result driven. The comparison would be bug spray. You can always use the natural citronella repellent, but chances are you are going to get bit. If you want to make sure you do not get attacked, you are going to need the active ingredient that does the job!

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I personally define success by making differences in other people’s lives. If I can save someone from driving 20 + minutes in traffic in order to buy a dry shampoo, then I would definitely say I am a success. Success for me is introducing someone to a new brand and sharing my joy and passion with someone. Success is helping someone with adult acne clear up their skin with the products I recommend. I just enjoy working with people and working with people on their concerns. Being in the beauty industry we want to bring out the best in people!

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