Beauty Boutique Offers Makeup, Spa Services...and Antique Furniture

Aiming to fit right in with the "funky and mellow vibe" of Katonah, KD Studio—a beauty boutique which also carries an eclectic mix of home furnishings and jewelry—recently opened its doors in town. Co-owner Dina Altieri of Rye (along with Kari Puckhaber of Pound Ridge), said the duo wanted to be in a vibrant downtown area where there are no chain stores and "where residents support the local store owners."

Altieri and Puckhaber have over 20 years of experience as makeup artists and after talking at a recent show they decided to bring their knowledge and love of good quality skin care and makeup to customers.

"Our aim is to have something in here to please women of all generations and to be inviting with a wide array of price points," Altieri said.

The store itself is very inviting—with antique furniture display cases, rough-hewn wood mirrors and artsy lighting.  "Part of the shopping experience is just browsing," Altieri notes, and she and Puckhaber want women (and men) to come in and experiment with the products and ask questions.

The owners are definitely seeing educated consumers walk through the door.

"We have many customers who read the beauty blogs and reviews and know what they want," Altieri said. To that end, the shopkeepers offer what they've found to be the best lines of skin care and makeup. Stila, Hourglass and La Bella Donna cosmetics are sold in the store and the skin care lines include the organic line of Jurliqu, Ren, which Altieri explains has no "extraneous" ingredients, and Lidareme, a line created by a South Salem resident. (See the Patch feature on Lideareme later this week).

Fragrances and hand creams from Tokyo Milk and Love and Toast are found here, as well as a number of delicious-smelling candles.

"We have lines for both the customer who is looking for mainstream products and items for the purists," Altieri says. She and Puckhaber strive to keep the offerings at a range of price points so customers can come in and not have "buyer's regret," as Altieri put it.

Home furnishings include hand-block pillows, leather Moroccan "poufs" (ottomans) and metallic cowhide rugs. Altieri had done store displays at a home furnishings store so wanted a spot that not only felt comfortable but was aligned  with the selective offerings found in the beauty area.

In jewelry, reasonably-priced Dogeared jewelry is found next to the more upscale line by Saundra Messinger, a designer from Nyack. "In keeping with our customers' commitment to the town, we want to support local artisans and introduce our customers to lines they won't find elsewhere," says Altieri.

A full menu of salon options, including facials, waxing and airbrush tanning with all-natural "ingredients" are available at KD Studio. There are two award-winning aestheticians on staff.  While there is another beauty boutique in town, and another store which sells high-end cosmetics, Altieri believes the town can and will support similar businesses as they sell different lines.

"We felt very positive about opening at this time—as we were looking for space we saw storefronts moving quickly so felt that meant that the economy is picking up," Altieiri says. She notes that they are quickly developing a devoted following in the area and hopes that grows over the holiday season and into 2011.