6A = THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
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NEWS
FRIDAY,MAY3,2002
babette brings glamour to clientele
By Katie Nelson and Lindsay Viner Special to the Kansas
Babette Crowder says she is trying to make women feel better about themselves one person at a time.
Crowder opened her beauty boutique, "babette," in October 2000. The boutique, 924 1/2
LINDSEY KILIANY/KANSAN
Massachusetts Street, carries makeup, hair and skin-care products, fragrances and hair accessories. It was recently featured in InStyle and a beauty industry magazine a magazine BeautyBiz.
babette, at 924 1/2 Massachusetts, offers designer makeup, hair and body care products. The shop, which opened in 2000, features a hair salon as well. babette will open a second store next week in Kansas City.
Crowder said she had always
"We compete a little, but we aren't able to attract some of the same exclusive lines like she is."
Store and went on to become a makeup artist for commercial sets and weddings. Ten years later, a friend told her about available property in downtown Lawrence, and Crowder jumped at the opportunity to work her way even further into the cosmetics industry.
She applied for a $100,000
small-business loan and began
been interested in cosmetics, but didn't pursue it as a career until a little more than 10 years ago. While teaching history at the University of Kansas and working on her master's degree, Crowder decided she needed a creative outlet from school.
Katie McLinn
Beauty Brands Salon Spa
Superstore manager
She began working behind a makeup counter at The Jones
consulting people about the design of the store.
Chris Burns,
a close friend and beginning
designer helped outline
boutique's layout and display system.
He proposed a simple, gallery-style showcase
for her products.
Crowder has three employees and a hair stylist who has a salon in the back of the boutique. During its first year in business, babette surpassed Crowder's goal of $100,000 in revenue.
Crowder's boutique now has 12 product lines, compared to five when it opened. Some lines
are established within the cosmetics industry, but others are newer. She will add Caudalie, a French skincare line that is not available anywhere in the Kansas City area.
Crowder's peers in the Lawrence cosmetics business are taking notice of her boutique.
"She has a great store," said Beauty Brands Salon Spa Superstore manager Katie McLinn.
"We compete a little, but we aren't able to attract some of the same exclusive lines like she is."
Her business-savvy has paid off. Crowder will open her second beauty boutique on May 1. It will be a "space-within-a-space" concept in Beyond Beauty at 6531 West 119th Street in Overland Park.
This story was edited by Gillian Titus.
CERAMICS FOR SALE
Artist Travis Hinton, Sioux Falls, S.D., GTA, speaks with a prospective buyer about one of his pieces. Yesterday's ceramics sale is part of a biennial event in which students, teachers and local alumns have the opportunity to show and sell their pieces at the Art and Design Building.
LINDSEY KILIANY/KANSAN
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Red Lyon Tavern
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