Earlier in October, Rockwood became home to a new fashion and beauty products boutique located at 1434 N Gateway Ave. by the name of Blush and Brass. The store, owned by Amber Clarke, offers clothes for a variety of women’s sizes and makeup shopping as well as fashion and skin care consultation and makeovers.
“I came from California about 3 or 4 years ago,” said Clark. “My husband and my son, we were looking for a place to live that aligned with our values. We were tired of the hustle, and the bustle, and the grind of California and saw that there were other opportunities out there. We took that big leap of faith and moved across the country. It was a great decision and we’re very happy that we did.”
Clark mentions other factors that came into play such as her son graduating high school as well as the fluctuating housing market.
“For the last 20 plus years I’ve worked in the fashion and beauty industry,” she said. “For several years I was doing wholesale for beauty products into boutiques just like this. For about 15 years prior to that, I was working with Estee Lauder companies as an executive for them, so I really have an expertise in beauty and skin Care and a little bit more of a passion for fashion seeing as I’ve been around it for most of my career.”
Blush and Brass was opened due to what Clark saw as a lack of retail shopping opportunities for women in Roane County.
“If you want to do a lot of shopping, most of the time we have to go up the 40 to Knoxville or Farragut,” she said. “I was working from home doing beauty wholesale but I also missed engaging with people in person. That’s what I had done throughout all my career was being out in the field. All the signs led me to build my own boutique. And since I had gotten really familiar with how they were doing it and how it was working, to the point where I felt like I had some confidence in starting my own.”
Among the brands featured at Blush and Brass are Lua Skin Care and Moira Beauty. Clark also said she’s still searching for clothing brands, and hopes to continue bringing in brands such as Culture Code and Zenana.
“Because it’s just me at the boutique at this time and we’re still looking and hoping to grow, my goal is to expand my staff so that I can offer additional beauty services,” Clark said. “And my long-term goal within the next year or maybe two years is to build out. We have about 800 additional square feet, and so I’m really looking to either build out this retail space or bring in some salon services in the back. Lash artists, hair salon chairs, and skin care services. I really want to find out, as I’m working with customers over the next few months what products are really resonating so I can build those brands and build services around those brands.”
Clark also mentioned that she hopes to begin hiring staff within the next 6 months to a year, and if all goes well she hopes to open a second location.
“It takes the support of the community, and having that support from our customers, I feel very inspired for what’s to come for the future. I love seeing people come back multiple times even just in the small month that we’ve been open. So, I definitely think we have a lot of room to grow and a lot of opportunities.”
