Bluemercury’s Secret Sauce to 20 Years in Business

At a time when department stores reigned supreme, Marla and Barry Beck had a different idea. The couple envisioned a network of neighborhood-based beauty stores that carried department store brands and were staffed by well-trained but brand-agnostic employees. They opened the first one in Georgetown in 1999, and it was a hit. “It was probably the first curated concept based on the clientele they were trying to reach, not simply based on demand,” said Leonard Lauder, chairman emeritus at the Estée Lauder Cos. “They created the demand for the brands they were selling rather than simply servicing the demand based on advertising, etc. And they knew how to do it. They had a wonderful instinct for it. These are two great partners, each does something a little bit different than the other and they do it so well.” “Marla and Barry saw a pain point in respect of purchasing beauty products and they went after it,” said Jack Levy, partner at investment bank Centerview. “The idea of putting the spa together with the store was a thoughtful one, because it was a way to draw women in for the service, it was a way to let them test the product, it was a

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