Back to basics

Spotlight, Style — By Cailley Hammel

European flair — in Racine

After a year, Upurea’s sales soared by 600 percent, and the customer base shifted as well. Sales were initially 100 percent Canadian, but by the second year, sales were about 75 percent American. Looking to broaden their presence in the US, Hefferon and Cuttress expanded their offerings to include 35 brands before moving operations to a retail location — in Racine.

Admittedly, part of the motivation was personal. Hefferon, a Racine native, needed to be closer to his mother to care for her.

However, Racine had a few advantages as well. Operational costs are substantially lower in Racine than cities like Chicago, or even Milwaukee. In addition, Racine’s geographical location in the Midwest makes it easy for Upurea staff to send purchases to each coast in a matter of days.

Regardless of where the shop was located, Hefferon and Cuttress were a little nervous. A brick-and-mortar location gave them the opportunity to define the Upurea experience — a tall order for any company moving from web-based operations to a physical store.

The goal, Hefferon says, was to give shoppers “something that our website itself can’t convey: What is Upurea? What is the experience?”

That experience, they decided, needed to be green. They installed bamboo floors, energy-efficient lighting and shelves made from reclaimed materials. Walls were painted with low-emissions paint. The finishing touch? A garage-door at the front of the space that, during Wisconsin’s warmer months, leaves the entire store open to curious passersby.

“It’s one of those environments that people come in and go, ‘I came in because I felt like I needed to be in there,’” Hefferon says.

To many, the store’s modern appearance was enough to fool them into thinking they were somewhere else entirely.

“A lot of people, when they come into our store, say, ‘Well, this feels like I’m in New York, it feels like I’m in San Francisco, it feels like I’m in Toronto or London, it doesn’t feel like I’m in Racine,” Hefferon says with a laugh.

An attractive appearance

The same year Upurea opened online, Krissy Ferro began to consider starting her own natural line of cosmetics. Living in New York at the time, Ferro, like Cuttress and Hefferon, saw a need for natural products in the beauty industry. As a hair stylist and makeup artist working with chemicals on a daily basis, she often witnessed their effects on her customers, especially those with sensitive skin.

“It was like a bad nightmare when you realize what is actually in the stuff you are putting on everyday,” Ferro said. “Really horrible and awful ingredients.”

She launched Ferro Cosmetics as an online boutique in the fall of 2007, specializing in loose mineral makeup.

A little more than a year ago, a friend introduced her to Upurea. After doing a little research, Ferro appreciated the company’s approach to natural beauty products.

“They were really glamorous about all-natural products, which was really hard to find,” she says.

After sending Cuttress and Hefferon some samples of her mineral makeup, the pair decided to sell her line on a consignment basis. It grew popular, and Hefferon and Cuttress partnered with Ferro to help grow her business and expand her product range. In the year since that partnership began, sales of Ferro Cosmetics soared 200 percent.

Ferro moved to Racine to be closer to Upurea and assist Cuttress and Hefferon in their efforts to expand the Upurea brand.

“They were just really great people,” Ferro says of her business partners. “They’re willing to take on a brand that they didn’t know, had never heard of, and give it a whirl.”

Judging by the success with Ferro’s line, they know a good brand when they see one.

Going green, globally

Upurea may only be four years old, but Hefferon and Cuttress are preparing for some major additions to the Upurea family in 2011.

First is an online green beauty marketplace in the vein of Etsy.com, the website that allows users to buy and sell handmade and vintage items. Hefferon and Cuttress want to provide a similar tool for other natural care companies.

“We just felt like if we could help some of these smaller startups become more known and get their product out there a little more, we’d probably have a lot more great products on the market than what are available today,” Cuttress says.

Also slated for 2011 is a green beauty network, an interactive site for Upurea customers and green beauty lovers to read up on the latest trends, learn tips for leading a green life and connect with other users. The goal, Hefferon says, is to share knowledge about green beauty products and promote the idea that “green beauty can be as glamorous and sexy as its conventional counterparts.”

The duo is also looking into expanding Upurea’s retail holdings. They envision corporate offices in major cities like New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, and retail stores in the suburbs.

While Hefferon and Cuttress may have a lot on their plate right now, they are thrilled by the success of Upurea and are excited to see where it can go. But for now, Racine has been treating them well.

“Well, the Kringle is really good here, I will say that,” Cuttress says.

Tags: Hammel, Makeup