Another winner!

Today we had another fun contest and another fun contest winner! This contest was on our Facebook fan page (wait,I'm sorry...you say you aren't on it??? Please pause reading this fascinating blog and click Facebook and become a fan. Done? Ok, let's continue!) Today at 9:30 on a gloomy, blustery, monsoony Saturday morning, we posted that the first person to walk into Urban Waxx and say "Pattern" received a $25 gift card to Urban Waxx as well as a bottle of Pattern body wash of their choosing!

Less than 20 minutes later Morgan Richardson came running in and won a gift card as well as a bottle of Eucalyptus body wash! Fun! Thanks for playing, Morgan, and congratulations!

The Evangelist Client

We have great clients. I mean, we have AMAZING clients. We get so much of our business from our existing clients referring us to their friends. Liam has informed me that what we are looking for in the ideal client is known as the "Evangelist Client." This is the client that comes to your business, has an amazing experience, and then feels such joy that he or she leaves and spreads the good word. This is the client that tells pretty much everyone they know about their favorite product, or restaurant, or waxing salon. Businesses are built on Evangelist clients. Liam also told me that most of Apple's customers are Evangelist. Liam and I are both diehard Apple users, so I get that. We also both love a great little speciality food business called Zingerman's. They have an unbelievable customer service policy, a quirky hand drawn catalog with great food finds, and they are very accessible as a company. All things that I admire.

I just want to take a moment to give a little shout out about one of our Evangelists. Her name is Patri and she has been a regular client of Beth's for the past year. I have never met her, but now I feel like I know her, and she knows me. Her Evangelism started with her fabulous post on our Urban Waxx Facebook fan page. She talked about her love of Serious Serum. Here it is:

Top 5 Things I Love About Serious Serum (in no particular order):

1. That it is essentially non-scented. I dislike when products push their scent agenda. Especially on "sensitive" areas. This one does not.
2. That the directions are clear, concise, descriptive, and colorfully written. Seriously.
3. That it doubles as a facial exfoliant. It's like a gift that this product does double duty.
4. That it is sold at the best place to be waxed in the west. Personally, I've never liked a spa more. It just feels like a really good place to take it all off. (And by "take it all off" I mean the hair. With the wax. Not, like, in the waiting room.)
5. That it perfectly compliments the best wax I've ever had. Seriously.

Well, that was pretty awesome. I was pretty shocked that someone had taken the time to write such nice things, and so well written, about us and our product. But, her Evangelism didn't stop there. Next, she wrote a review about us on Yelp. And here it is:

I don't often give reviews, especially adding a five star rating to a place that has a consistent five star rating. I mean, really, it seems silly to go on and on and on about how great a place is. We get the picture.

But, here's the thing about Urban Waxx. It isn't just great. It's exponentially great. Why? Well, it isn't just the best wax I've ever had (seriously), because that's a given. And it isn't just the super cute yellow building that houses it, although that doesn't hurt. And it isn't even the actual waxing services they provide, because many places around this town provide many of the same services. What makes Urban Waxx the best wax I've ever had (seriously) is the ownership.

I've never met Shannon, but I know she owns Urban Waxx. And I know she has a kidlet and a hubby. And I know she loves her staff, her city and her community. And I know she loves to support local business. And I know that she stands behind her services and her business 100 and 25 percent. How do I know this? Maybe because I've done my homework, people.

But not really. Shannon hands this information out. Freely. In blog form. And facebook form. And in responses to customer concerns on this here public voting forum. And honestly, I find her honesty about her business and her life refreshing. I feel like I can trust a businesswoman who is extremely open about herself, her life and her business. That's just good business, in my book. (And my book is pretty selective.) This is a good business, a good company, and a place (providing I had any esthetician training and/or experience) I would strive to be employed.

So, I'm coming down in favor of Urban Waxx. Given those who have already "yelped" and those who provide services there, it seems like I'm in good company, too.

(And, as a post script. For those who are deterred by what they view as a high price for waxing services, consider the following: the person who waxes you places a hot substance on your delicate girl or boy parts, be they nether-region-parts, face-parts, or other-skin-covered-parts. Do you really want to give that power to the lowest bidder?)

So I read that review. I actually cried when I read it. I couldn't believe that someone not directly involved with Urban Waxx could understand so deeply what we strive to accomplish every day. It was amazing. It really resonated with me. Wow

A few days later I checked our Yelp page and Patri's fabulous review was no longer on our page. Sigh. This has happened many times with us in the past on Yelp. 5 star review go missing. After speaking to Yelp as nauseam on this particular topic. Yelp has told me that they will remove a review that they consider "biased" toward a business, or if the Yelper in question has no profile picture, no friends, and no other reviews. Basically if they think the review is fake they yank it off the business page. It will still be on the reviewer's page, but not be able to seen on the business page.  This little quirk of Yelp's used to make me come unglued. We don't shake down our clients for reviews and the reviews that we get are legit.

Then, with Patri's Evangelist review, I had an epiphany: Yelp thinks that our reviews are fake because some of them seem TOO good! I actually felt pretty great after that. The fact that we have clients that feel so strongly about what we do at Urban Waxx that they would take the time to write a glowing review that was SO glowing that it would seem fake? Wow. We must be doing something right.

On the flip side, we don't always have clients that are madly in love with us. That's the bummer about working closely to people every minute of every day. Sometimes, we aren't the right fit. I will promise, however, that we will try our absolute hardest to make every person that walks through our doors or emails us or calls us 100% thrilled with us. We want to have Evangelist clients...like Apple or Zingerman's. That is our ultimate goal.

So, to Patri and all of the other Evangelists that pave the way for us: we thank you. Deeply.

Waxin and a Movin and a Shakin!

We are busy little bees on NW 18th St. We have so many pans on the stove that sometimes I wonder how everything is going to get cooked. But, that's simple. I ask for help. And lots of it.

Look at the CUTE new bags and gift card presenters that Liam designed. Sigh. I love them. And you should see the the gift cards that go in the presenters. Better yet, you should GIVE a gift card! Or win a gift card! Are you following us on Twitter or Facebook? Because if you are, you will be a part of some really fun gift card giveaways that we are launching. So get on there! See: here is little Miss Mandee Pearson who is one of our clients. She won our first Twitter promo today! She got a $25 gift card just for coming into UW and saying a secret word that we announced on Twittier! Not too shabby!
Speaking, of launching: Liam has been the busiest bee of all. He is crazy nutty busy at work getting ready to launch the brand new Serious Serum website where Serious devotees will be able to buy the luscious stuff online! So exciting! Not to mention that we just got our brand new, BEAUTIFUL bottles in! Only a few...5000! It was quite the delivery!

So many other things too...some are fun surprises and big events! Plus there are always fun events like the crazy Halloween party that we just had (there we all are on the left) and the upcoming Ugly Christmas Sweater Party. Sorry my darling Alix...we can do a formal cocktail party next Holiday! xo

Pacifica Holiday scents are too good!

I love the holidays. All of them. From October on I fall asleep with visions of sugar plums dancing in my head! So I was so excited to get our adorable new soy candles from Pacifica. We got perfect gift boxes with three delectable candle scents: Russian Fir, Zanzibar Cinnamon and Bourbon Island Vanilla. What? Too good? Can't decide? Well, don't worry. You don't have to. Just for the holidays we are carrying individual 5.5 oz pure soy candles for $16 and also the Russian Fir gift set which is one votive in each scent in a prefect little gift box. For only $14, it makes the perfect stocking stuffer, teacher's gift, Chanukah present...well you get the idea.

I heart the holidays!

Urban Waxx loves Flood Clothing. Seriously.

So have I mentioned before how much we all love Nicole Flood of Flood Clothing? Yes, I know we have. She is one of the coolest gals I have ever met, her unbridled energy is amazing, and her hats and clothing are as cool as it gets. Nicole will walk in with her giant trunk of hats and it causes a flurry of excitement with our entire team! We all own at least a few of her hats (some of us, like Kim, Jenny and Megan may be getting into the double digits...).

Anyhoo, we just got an amazing new batch of her infinitely adorable creations. And for those of you who say "I don't look good in hats" I say to you "HA!" You will look good in a Flood Hat. I watched one of our cute clients come out of a waxing appointment and look at the hats and then say "No, I'm not much of a hat person!" Within minutes, Nicole had her in a hat that looked like it was made for her, and she was leaving with a bounce in her step! So much fun!

Oh, by the way, that is the famous Nicole Flood in the pic in one of her own designs. She also makes the most unique and cool clothing, all in recycled material! I just bought the coolest sweater coat on the block. We love her. Seriously.

We reached our goal!

So excited! We reached our goal of 500 followers on Twitter which means that we will be donating AT LEAST $500 to Raphael House. We have teamed up with this amazing non-profit organization and we were so excited to be able to donate to them. So now, any new follower that we get until October 31 will be just extra money towards them!

Side note: Liam and I went to a happy hour that Raphael House was holding last week. It was really fun and great meeting all the wonderful people that did so much for Portland. I did keep on referring to Raphael House as a "charity" until Liam politely pulled me aside and told me he felt that it should be referred to as a "non-profit." Ahhh. Who knew, right? Thank goodness I have people that are hanging around me that can correct my social gaffes. That Liam. He's a sharp one!

Anyway, thank you to everyone that has begun to follow us on Twitter! We will be doing contests and promotions in the future, so keep following!

Communication...how I love thee.

“There are two things people want more than sex and money... recognition and praise.” Mary Kay Ash

Running a business is just as much about making money as it is making relationships. A fundamental building block of any relationship is communication. We value our relationships with clients, coworkers, and vendors. There are so many avenues of communication that we can't control, we really try to nurture the relationships that we can. I have worked in places before where there was NO communication! Things would happen and we would all be completely shocked! I always want to make sure that my staff never feels like their work environment is unstable. And it is always so important to let people know when they are doing a great job. That validation really keeps a person going!

Every month we have a staff meeting. It's actually something that I really look forward to! I bring in some delicious Kettleman's bagels (have you tried the pumpkin bagel with cinnamon raison cream cheese? Oh. My. Heavens.) and we all spend an hour going over the state of Urban Waxx. This is a time when we entertain guest speakers, go over goals for the month, review suggestions from the suggestion box, announce winners from the previous month's contests, and ultimately get a sense of where everyone is and where we are heading. This time is vital for Urban Waxx because there is so much going on daily here that we need time to sit together as one cohesive unit and all get on the same page. I also find these meetings really beneficial because, as we all know, this IS my first rodeo! Although I have a very clear vision of what I want from Urban Waxx, it's great to be able to get some amazing ideas from the team. It's a new business, and it's also exciting for them to see their ideas being implemented.

We always end the meetings with "gratefuls." This is something that I have mentioned before. Basically we go around in a circle and say one thing that we are grateful for, not necessarily about Urban Waxx. It could be something like "I'm grateful for coffee," or something like "I'm grateful that I have such great people to work with." It always leaves us with a warm and fuzzy feeling.

This past month's meeting was the first meeting that Liam attended. Afterward, he said that he loved being there! And it really was great to have some cute male energy in the room. All of our staff has adopted Liam as there little brother, so there is a fair amount of teasing back and forth. It's really fun.

I have also gotten a lot of great ideas from clients. We have gotten recommendations on products, services, all kinds of stuff. I love the fact that people are invested in Urban Waxx and what we do, and want to be a part of it! So keep those ideas coming, friends! Trust me, I could talk about Urban Waxx all day long!

Love thy Neighbors. Part 1.

We have so many cool, local businesses in our little neck of the woods. I thought it might be nice to chat about some of my favorites!

Right around the corner from us on Lovejoy, is one of my favorite places to buy wine: Cork. They have an amazing selection of wine, and you'll always find 100 wines under $20, which is exciting. They are incredibly helpful and knowledgeable. Besides wine, they also sell divine chocolates, beer, and fancy imports like olive oils. Last year one of Cody's Christmas stocking gifts was a bottle of $40 olive oil. Yes, I know, $40 for olive oil is ridiculous. But I can assure you it was the best olive oil we ever tasted! Cork is basically a one stop shop for all things awesome, and it is my go to shop for last minute gifting and hostess gifts.

Right next door is Relish, which is a super chic and hip home goods store. It almost looks like we belong together. They have the EXACT same dandelion pattern on their exterior that we have on our interior. Weird, huh? Anyway, Relish is chock full of home accessories, textiles, tableware, you name it. Even gorgeous modern jewelry. Really fun and unique items. It is impossible to stop in there and NOT buy something!

Many of the Urban Waxx gals shop at Folly Clothing. The locally owner clothing store is pretty much stocked with the cutest little frocks you can imagine. Beth and Megan are especially fond of the style, and you can even see Beth in some of the pics on the Folly website! Her clothes are one part retro, one part whimsy, and one part pure Portland. Super flattering dresses and also great accessories!

Finally, for today, we want to welcome our newest neighbor: Chachi Hair and Skin. Chachi and his team opened up a few months ago right around the corner from us on Marshall, and from what we've seen, they are doing some really great things over there! Their space is uber modern and chic, and their staff is fabulous. They use great products like Redken for hair and Sonya Dakar Skincare. We wish them all the best!

So, for now, there are a few of our favorite neighbors. Our area is developing every day, and there are so many amazing businesses going in around us. Next time you come for your wax, take a stroll around the block! You never know what you may find!

Tweet for a Cause: Raphael House of Portland

It is with great excitement that we announce to you our first Twitter promotion, "Tweet for a Cause: Raphael House of Portland" We've teamed up with Raphael House of Portland and developed what we think will be a fun and exciting promotion. Instead of telling you who Raphael House is, we'll let their website speak for itself:

"Raphael House is a multi-faceted domestic violence agency dedicated to fighting the causes and effects of intimate partner violence in a variety of ways. We offer emergency shelter in a confidential location, a 24-hour in-house crisis line, transitional housing and advocacy programs, non-residential advocacy in partnership with the Portland Police Bureau, and also work to bring an end to violence through community outreach and education."

So, needless to say, this is a great cause that we can TOTALLY get behind. It was important to Urban Waxx that we could help support a local charity, that embodies the same values that we hold dear, like empowering individuals. After doing some research, Liam and I found the Raphael House, and Liam came up with a great way to help out:Twitter. It just makes sense to us! We love Twitter, we love people, and we love to give back! Add it all together and Twitter is a great way to give to an amazing cause, and have some fun with new friends in the process. Basically, Tweet for a Cause means that for every follower we have by October 31st, we'll donate $1 to Raphael House of Portland. It's that simple. The more followers we get, the more money we'll be able to donate.

How can you help? Simple! Follow us on Twitter @urbanwaxx and tell your friends. We'll be tweeting up a storm and a simple ReTweet would totally help us get the word out. Thanks for your support and we'll keep you all posted on the progress.

*Donation will not exceed 2,000 total followers. Promotion runs until 10/31/2009. Any questions can be directed to liam@urbanwaxx.com

Naked shmaked. The dish on taking it off.

So today we had our monthly staff meeting. One of the new things I was asked to implement was a Suggestion Box for the back room. I have always been reluctant to put one back there, for fear that I would be reading 100 suggestions like: "Can I have an independently wealthy boyfriend?" or "Puffy Cheetos." There were 1 or 2 suggestions that I rolled my eyes at, but most of them were really great! Someone suggested: "Can you please write a blog telling our clients that we are 100% comfortable with nudity?" So, here it is!

We ARE completely, totally, 100% comfortable with nudity. In fact, I am so immune to seeing my clients naked that I am always surprised when I have a new client that is shy. We get so used to dealing with naked bodies that it honestly does not phase us. We have clients of ALL shapes and sizes, too. You know what I have come to realize that everyone, no matter how beautiful or toned or perfect their bodies are, has body issues. I have clients that have the most perfect bodies, with not an ounce of fat to be seen, and still they will hop on the table and say: "Oh don't look at my cellulite!" Yes, people, it's official: people are crazy.

My point in talking about this is that I know that getting naked in front of a stranger can be daunting. There is a fear of the unknown and the huge fear of judgement. But, I can assure you, we don't judge. We don't talk about our clients after they leave. We understand that our clients put their trust in us and we feel very strongly about honoring that trust.

Another thing: I promise we aren't fixating on what your vaginas look like. Although I look at lady parts all day long, when I am waxing, I sort of go into a different mode. All I see is hair and skin. I become a wax robot: "Must. Remove. Hair...Hair. Is. Bad!" Ok, well maybe not quite, but pretty close. I have been doing this for so long that I could probably do a Brazilian blindfolded, all while finding out the gossip about my client's latest date. It is second nature to me, and to all of us.

So, that's it. Naked, shmaked, that's what I say. If your fear of stripping down in front of us is keeping you from visiting Brazil, then relax! If it makes you feel any better, all the waxers at Urban Waxx have seen me with my pants down. Can you say that about your boss?

Happy Birthday to Us!

Yes, that is correct. It is Urban Waxx's 2 year birthday today! I cannot believe that it has been 2 whole years since we started taking clients in this location. The time has absolutely flown by! I would like to take a moment to discuss some of the exciting things that UW will be doing in the next few months. There have been so many things going on that sometimes I forget to share with everyone!

To begin, as I stated in a prior email, we have added Liam to our team. We also leased the beautiful office space right next door to Urban Waxx for a combined office, storage, and in the months to come, a shipping facility. We are receiving a gigantic shipment of our brand new beautiful and super sexy Serious Serum bottles. Liam is busy developing our Serious website so that we can sell our wonder product online. We are SO excited about this development. I mean, we really do love it that much! Liam is also burning the midnight oil trying to get us into magazines like Allure and Lucky, and our dream of all dreams, on Oprah. So, anyone who is buddy-buddy with Oprah, can you help...? Seriously, a dream of mine is to see our product in O Magazine, or better yet, give Oprah and/or Gayle King a Brazilian. Think it could happen?

Of course we are always adding new fabulous retail products to our line up. We have wonderful new Holiday scents coming in from Pacifica, and I am a huge Christmas fan. This year we are so lucky and we get to celebrate Christmas AND Chanukah, since we have welcomed the lovely and talented Alix to our team, and she happens to be Jewish. So we will be decking the halls and lighting the menorah this year. Kind of exciting! Plus, I absolutely love noodle kugel! But then again, I love all food equally, so I guess that is somewhat irrelevant.

Lastly, but certainly NOT least: we are combing the area looking for an ideal spot to open a 2nd location of Urban Waxx! I get butterflies when I even type it...but it is the right time to expand for sure! We have been so absolutely blessed with great clients, an amazing staff and 2 great years. We can't wait to spread the love! Seriously!