Today we’d like to introduce you to Brooke Bemis.
Hi Brooke, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My name is Brooke Bemis; I’m a Licensed Esthetician and the Owner of Brows by B, located in West Wichita. I loved brow and facial waxing in school, so my interest was piqued. I graduated with my Esthetics License from Crave Beauty Academy in 2015. After graduation, I didn’t have a clear picture of what avenue I wanted to pursue with my Esthetics license. I took a little time deciding what path to take when I happened upon the Benefit Cosmetics Brow Bar inside Ulta Beauty. I applied and was hired as an Arch Expert. I performed short services like eyebrow and facial waxing and demonstrated how to use Benefit brow products for an even more beautiful brow. This is where I fell in love with brow shaping + mapping and realized that this service was much more than a quick brow wax. It made people feel more confident in themselves.
I always knew that I wanted to work for myself one day, but the fear of doing it all alone kept me stagnant. Still, with the encouragement of family and friends, and the drive to do more, I was offered the opportunity to start my own business inside an established hair salon. In the spring of 2017, I opened Brows by B in a tiny corner of that hair salon, slowly building my business, learning, and perfecting my craft. After a couple of years, my business blossomed quicker than I could have imagined. I took a leap of faith and moved my business into a studio inside Sola Salon Studios in West Wichita. It was the best decision I could have made for myself and my business. I am so proud of the business I have built! I believe in my work and have always felt it speaks for itself!
You wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been smooth?
The biggest struggle was navigating the ups and downs of being a new business owner and disciplining myself to do what it takes, especially in the first couple of years of opening. I chose to continue waiting tables, something I did while going to school because I was too scared to give up money I knew was consistent. So I mostly took clients in the late afternoons and evenings until one day, that restaurant closed, and I saw this as a sign that I was supposed to be focusing on building my dreams and not someone else’s. I opened my hours, worked 10-hour days, and did whatever I could to get by while growing my business. In the down times when I didn’t have appointments, I learned social media and worked hard to build my brand and educate people on the difference between a basic brow wax and brow mapping + shaping. I was invited to teach and demonstrate my art at Eric Fisher Academy & Sami Halaseh Institute, something I truly enjoyed doing. The support of family and friends was everything to me. I told everyone I knew about my business, leaving business cards on bulletin boards, offering free services to family and friends, and offering discounts to my clients for referrals. I also loved collaborating with other local boss babes; the support here in Wichita is incredible, and being surrounded by talented businesswomen daily is truly inspiring. I’m so excited about the future!
Thanks for sharing that. So, you could tell us a bit more about your work.
I specialize in custom brow shaping and waxing, free-handed brow mapping, brow tinting, and brow laminations while creating a brow shape that accentuates your natural brows and facial features. My goal is to help you achieve and maintain a healthy, full-looking brow shape you’ll love while educating clients on the importance of consistency and aftercare. It’s not just a simple brow wax to me. I take my time and truly focus on my client’s natural shape and needs, as every pair of brows is just as unique as the person wearing them.
What I am most proud of these days, besides doing what I love every day, is getting my 1st nomination in the Best Waxing Category for the Best of Wichita Magazine. I later learned I had taken the 3rd place award after all the votes were counted. Being nominated was truly something, so placing in the Top 3 is an enormous honor. I can’t thank my wonderful clients, friends, and family enough for voting for me and for all the support and encouragement.
My work and my showing it on social media set me apart. Before & Afters are everything! The whole point of what I do is to enhance my client’s natural beauty. I’ve always had clients come to me because my work would stand out to them on my various business pages and see how natural it looks. I’ve always been able to take a pair of brows and bring them to life, giving my clients that extra confidence boost. When they leave smiling, I smile. I believe not only in my brow work but also in how I have marketed and branded myself to my followers and clientele, I have always received compliments about those two things, and it’s why my books stay consistently complete. I want to work, and I’m excited to work every day. Branding is everything, and I pride myself on staying true to myself and displaying my work in a way potential clients see it as beautiful and inviting. Being able to stay true to me has helped my business grow into what it has. I am blessed with how quickly my clientele and love for this industry have grown through the years!
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
Covid was a terrifying time for those in the Cosmetology industry. One industry that was forced to shut down for over 2 months, which was tough. I had only been open a few short months in my new studio when everything stopped. Not only did we have to worry about our health and such uncertainty. We also had to worry about our finances, like so many. I understood why, and to be honest, I was glad, as we are one profession that is in people’s faces every single day, and there is no way around that, so that was scary, especially for those of us with loved ones near and all of the unknowns at the time.
I learned just how important the beauty industry is, even though they said we weren’t essential. It was fun hanging out in sweats and with no makeup for a while. Still, so many truly rely on and need the services we offer to help them feel beautiful and confident so that they can feel their best selves during difficult times. We all needed that as we navigated through that rough and crazy time.
So when it came time to open up again, the biggest thing I relied on was being a Licensed Esthetician in Kansas. You are held to a very high standard regarding safety, and we are subjected to inspections as part of staying open. Infection Control Regulations and Sanitation is the most important part of my daily work, from wiping down my table with sanitizer between every client. Using a new disposable stick each time I grab wax, using disposable applicators for products, and soak my implements and tools in sanitizer and disinfectant solution. I took this all very seriously before Covid. Once we were given the go-ahead to re-open, I took sanitation and sickness very seriously as I knew my business and livelihood depended on it. Masks were worn at all times, and I continue to wear a mask to this day while I am servicing a client, not only to protect myself but my clients, too!
Pricing:
- Brow Shaping- $27
- Brow Tinting- Starts at $40
- Brow Lamination- Starts at $70
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.vagaro.com/browsbybwichita/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/browsbybwichita
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/browsbybwichita
Image Credits
Sarah Thummel with Stay Wild Photography
