Raving Beauty is Lemonade for Its Owner

The old cliché says "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade."

That's what Renee Ford did when she lost her job last winter. It turned into Raving Beauty, a new beauty supply store that opened on Millburn Avenue about two weeks ago.

"This is lemonade," she said to describe the brightly lit store with its blue walls and white trim.

Ford worked in a similar store in Summit when she lost her job in March due to the slowing economy. It was then when one of her friends asked why she didn't open her own store.

They started talking about what needed to be done—she still has the original notebook with her lists—and looked for a place to open a store. They chose Millburn because many of the customers in Summit were coming from Millburn-Short Hills, Ford said.

It took about three months to go from being laid off to opening the store.

"It happened so fast it was surreal," Ford said. "No one can lay us off ever again."

She's also not nervous or scared about opening a new business in the current economy. The business is structured so that even if business is slow they will break even, she said.

"We kept expenses low, low enough that if we don't do well, we'll be fine," she said.

The types of products she is carrying are only the best, but they're also only what people want. Ford said she doesn't feel she needs to carry a whole product line. Instead, she will carry the most popular items and will special order items that some people may want.

"We have top of the line blow dryers," she said. "We also have lower range ones, but they're the best of the lower range."

Ford said she's been in the business for a number of years so she knows the best quality items to use. She's taken product classes and has tried everything.

"You can't sell it unless you know the product," she said.

So far business has been good with a regular stream of people investigating the store.

"The customers are wonderful," Ford said. "They're happy we're here."