Chamber Spotlight: Merle Norman
By Kevin Martin, Kindersley Chamber of Commerce
IT’S NOT YOUR GRANDMA’S MAKE-UP ANYMORE!
So says Dawn Climenhaga, the owner of the Merle Norman Cosmetics store in the Kindersley East Crossing Mall. And business is great. The Merle Norman franchise first saw light in Kindersley in 1983 and was located in the Kindersley Mall. It changed hands a few times until September of 2015 when Dawn took the plunge and purchased the outlet from then owner, Tracy Cook. As she jokes “ It’s my retirement project “! In 2017, she made a big decision and built a brand new studio at East Crossing Mall which opened on November 1st of that year, providing a fresh new look and much needed extra space.
The Merle Norman Cosmetics products go way back to 1931 when founder Merle Norman was mixing her skin care products in a pot on her kitchen stove in Los Angeles!! She wanted to empower women to feel better about themselves and having a good quality makeup was an important first step to her. The company head office is still located in L.A. and that’s where Dawn and her daughter went for 5 days of training to become a full fledged owner/operator of the Kindersley location. The store is visited by someone from the head office annually, just to see how things are going.
Dawn is a born and raised native of Kindersley and went to university in Saskatoon and became a CPA and was busy in that field for 35 years before making the change to entrepreneur. She still works on a casual basis for MNP in town.
Merle Norman Cosmetics has an enduring heritage of top quality products and they offer a full range of skin care and cosmetics in an inviting “ Studio Atmosphere “. There is a spa where you can have a facial, waxing, or massage in the privacy of the studio and the music is very relaxing! Dawn and her staff of expert skin care consultants will look after you in style. Anything from a skin care assessment to a foundation check or a mini makeup lesson, they know how to look after you. There are 2 “ Nail Stations “ for Gel Nail Services or a manicure.
Dawn believes in the “ Try before you buy “ policy. They want you to be happy and satisfied with your purchase and if you need a little demonstration about the best way to apply a product, that’s never a problem. Merle Norman Cosmetics even offers a full 30 day return policy. They are there to help YOU!
Merle Norman Cosmetics is still innovating and changing things for the better. They still sell the original 3 products that Merle was mixing on her stove, Miracol (face mask), Cleansing Cream and a Powder Based Foundation. Dawn also offers unique bath and body gifts as well as candles, dish and hand soap and other products too numerous to list here. She also stocks some earrings and other jewellery and accepts phone orders and will ship products to you if you can’t make it into the store.
Dawn is a big believer of shopping locally and has built up an impressive and loyal clientele since she bought the business. Any regrets about being an entrepreneur? No not really. Every day is a chance to make a difference in someone’s life. Merle Norman Cosmetics is currently a member of the Kindersley and District Chamber of Commerce.