If you’re in need of a haircut, eyelash extensions or a chemical peel, it’s never been easier to find a cosmetic expert in St Albert.
More personal care businesses opened last year than at any point in the city’s history.
In 2023, St. Albert added 240 net new licensed businesses, according to data from economic development — far exceeding the five-year average of 200.
Topping the list were personal care (36), massage therapy and physical wellness (24), counselling and mental health support (15) and food related (11).
Food, mental health and physical wellness have consistently ranked highly in annual counts of new businesses. But personal care services spiked from one new business in 2021 to 36 new businesses in 2023, said Shawn McCauley, the city’s manager of business expansion and retention.
“Anecdotally, there appears to be a growing cultural emphasis on wellness and self-care,” McCauley said in an email. “Personal care businesses tend to cater to lifestyle choices that individuals may continue to prioritize, regardless of economic conditions.”
It could also be that there’s more space for personal care businesses to set up shop.
Opened last November, Quaintrelle Collective is a 25-suite rental space in Campbell Business Park that caters to beauty and wellness businesses. Three months after launch, the building was fully occupied.
“We were hitting numbers in December that we anticipated in March,” said Rhandi Zipp, co-owner and operator of Quaintrelle Collective.
The building serves as a “starting ground” for entrepreneurs who want to launch their businesses without signing a long-term lease, Zipp said.
Multi-unit “collectives” like Quaintrelle are popping up all over the place, according to Zipp. But Quaintrelle is the first one in St. Albert.
The “spending power” in St. Albert was appealing for the property developer, Zipp said.
Fleeing Edmonton crime
While some businesses at Quaintrelle are just getting started, others have been in the game for years and needed a new place to call home.
“There are a few [properties] downtown [Edmonton], and we've had a number of our tenants come to us just because of safety,” Zipp said. “I think moving out of the downtown core is becoming more of a trend lately.”
Safety was a major concern for Ryley Chalmers, who does eyebrow microblading out of her space in the Quaintrelle Collective building.
She decided to leave her downtown Edmonton studio when someone broke in and ripped a bathroom door off its hinges.
“I've talked to a lot of girls that are opening up outside of the city, and with the way that downtown Edmonton is going right now girls in the industry don't feel safe,” Chalmers said. “Being alone at the salon, or with their clients at the salon, the number of break-ins that are going on downtown are really scary and causing a lot of people to get out of the cities.”
A crowded market
It’s tough to stand out in a market that’s getting a little cramped, according to Melanie Fernandez Teofilo, owner of Radiant Belle Med Spa, which offers skin rejuvenation, laser hair removal and body contouring services.
“The toughest part that I'm battling is on the marketing,” said Teofilo, who opened her business in 2022.
“It’s always competitive,” marketing on social media, she said, because every business has virtually free access to the web, and many cosmetic businesses are flooding social media with advertisements. She needs to “stand out.”
She’s distinguishing herself by creating “customized” facials, offering packages of different treatments that are bundled together.
She also has a background in nursing and once had her skin damaged during a facial treatment. Now she wants to make sure the same thing doesn’t happen to anyone else.
Economic woes not slowing business growth
McCauley was not surprised that 2023’s massive inflation spikes and higher interest rates didn’t slow business growth in St. Albert.
“In general, entrepreneurs see economic challenges as an opportunity to fill gaps in the market or introduce new and unique offerings that meet changing consumer preferences,” McCauley said. “There is no early indication that things will be slowing down any time soon.”
