Life is Sweet at Weston's Candy Bar

If it’s difficult launching a small business in a down economy, what’s it like starting a small business within a small business? For Candace Evans-Lucas, it’s been many things.

Two years ago, Evans-Lucas opened The Candy Bar, a high-end cosmetics boutique located within Wendy Wheeler on Boston Post Road. The boutique is a culmination of a major career switch; Evans-Lucas is a journalist by trade, having completed a master’s program at Boston University and worked in television sports news for some years until, she said, “I just knew I wasn’t very happy, and makeup was always something I loved. I’m a product junkie.”

As such, she went to work for Lancome until her first child was born, then parlayed the training she got there into doing makeup for brides at their homes, eventually working at Beauty and Main in Newton and Wellesley.

Ultimately, the connections she made through her experiences and her longtime association with Wendy Wheeler convinced her that it was time to open her own store.

“It was a risk,” said Evans-Lucas of opening The Candy Bar during the economic uncertainty of 2009. “But it also seemed like the right time to combine customer bases (with Wheeler).”

Among the challenges her unusual boutique-within-a-boutique situation pose, she said, is “being limited to the small space” which can make it difficult to add new products, top sellers of which include Kevyn Aucoin, B. Kamins and Kai, a fragrance line she said “has a cult following.”

But all in all, Evans-Lucas said the risk is one she doesn’t regret.

“Being a retailer in this economy has been tough, but I’m encouraged. It’s been up and down, but I’m starting to see some more steadiness,” she said.

While returns this holiday season are difficult to calculate yet, she said, so far “I haven’t made my exact goal, but I’m up from where I was last Christmas, so that’s encouraging”—returns she said reflect the “loyalty and intelligence” of her customers.

“I’m lucky in this community,” said Evans-Lucas. “The women who come in here are very intelligent and really want to know about product.”

What’s more, she said, while most of her merchandise is indisputably high-end, there are options for those struggling along with the economy.

“One of my best-selling products costs $20,” she said. “Women can come in and get something that will make them feel good and not spend a ton of money.”

Because at the end of the day, she said, “No matter what the economy’s doing, women will always want their lipsticks.”

Editor's note: The Candy Bar is the third of several small businesses that Weston Patch will profile this month. Look for the profiles on Monday afternoons.