We caught up with the brilliant and insightful CJ Neal a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
CJ, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
I have been a skincare junkie for the greater part of my life. I have freckles, and never really liked covering them with makeup, so I had a real focus on maintaining healthy skin since my teenage years. As a kind of angsty, artsy, “alternative” black girl, spas and skin care studios felt really posh and uncomfortable. I felt like I didn’t get the answers I was looking for in how to tend to my melanated skin. And that my “otherness” in those mostly white, mostly high end spaces, was treated as undesirable. I wanted the treatments, but in a way that felt informative and personal. And I wanted to be treated in a place that felt artsy and cool. I wanted…vibes. I wanted a space in the beauty industry where I could feel accepted. As I grew older, and became interested in business, I knew that I wanted to create a space that didn’t just tolerate atypical clientele, but catered to them. I envisioned a place where the counter culture client the primary focus. Currently, in our fifth year of business, Counter Culture Esthetics does just that. Serving as a kind of headquarters for anyone who feels like an outsider within the limited scope of the beauty industry. We specialize in the health and maintenance of ethnic skin. We support the LGBTQ+ community. We encourage our clients to embrace and love their differences, rather than focus on a single, standard of beauty. And most importantly, we truly value the time spent with each of our clients, in a way that feels loving, respectful and inclusive. We honor the uniqueness of our space and our clientele, through a foundation of openness and education.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
The thing I am most proud of is our ability to stand out in the market. We’ve had many clients come to us, after visiting tradtional spas or skin studios, and remark on how different the vibe feels. Our studio is filled with original art from local artists. Our walls are filled with color and moving lights. We do away with the water sounds and white noise, instead filling the space with the sounds of our monthly, curated playlist, which has become so popular we make it available on Spotify. Our services are targeted to popular concerns, but tailored to the individual. And because our focus is on building a positive relationship with our clients, in order to foster trust and personalized understanding of each clients specific needs, we steer away from high pressure sales. Product recommendations at Counter Culture are simply explained, and suggested. Your journey is your own, and we allow the client to decide how to proceed.
The most important take away about the brand is that we absolutely do not adhere to a blanket standard of beauty. We understand that textured skin is beautiful. We know that melantated skin is beautiful. We believe that dimpled, tattooed, body mod’d, wrinkled, hairy and/or birth marked skin is beautiful. And our main objective is to empower and educate our clients, so they come away with the same understanding. You don’t have to fit any mold to be celebrated at Counter Culture. You’re worthy right now.
Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?
Without a doubt, the closest we’ve ever been to closing permanently was in 2020. Coronavirus took the globe by storm, and everyone was uncertain how to proceed. With the shop closed, we faced the very real possibilty that we would be unable to fulfill our financial obligations and we were jonest anout our struggles with our clients. However, in addition to some governmental assistance for small businesses, a remarkable thing happened that I feel is a testament to the community Counter Culture has built in the downtown area. At the urging of our regular clients, we opened an online tip jar, and the love and support we received from our community was overwhelming. Donations came in frequently and online product sales soared. Our clientele was clear, they wanted is to remain open. They wanted more of what we have to offer. They believed in us, and we missed them terribly. I learned, during that time, that while there are many options to chose from, for skincare in the valley, there is no replacement for a place that makes you feel valued. And that feeling is reciprocal. We’ve built solid relationships with our clients. They come from all over the valley, yet we feel like their neighborhood salon. And the weight of that relationship, is something we will never take for granted.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
I think naturally I struggle with vulnerability, and I always had a pre-programmed idea of what “professionalism” meant. Some corporate, American idea that “professionalism” meant less personal, and more automated. The more standard and regular something appears, the more universal the brand/product, and the greater the sales…so I thought. Recently, I’ve had a paradigm shift. The service we offer isn’t universal. I, as the Owner of the business, have always been a bit off beat and unusual, and glossing over the uniqueness of our service, does not build repeat business. The sweet spot, in attracting our target audience, and increasing return visits, is in being open and honest about who we are, what we do, and who we service. If you come to Counter Culture looking for a sterile, corporate experience, you’ll be disappointed, and our efforts will be lost on you. We’ve seen our greatest sales, and built our most valuable relationships, when were are communicating openly and honestly with our target market. With all the competition in the beauty space, we had to learn to raise our voice to the frequency in which we want to be received.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.CounterCultureEsthetics.com
- Instagram: @CounterCultureEsthetics
- Facebook: @CounterCultureEsthetics
- Other: TikTok: @CCEskin