my journey (so far)
Growing up in Brazil it was by no accident that I gravitated towards the world of beauty. In fact, my aunt had a major influence on me. She is solely responsible for my roots in the brow game and I can remember absorbing her techniques any chance I could.
At 22 years old my fascination with eyebrows began to grow. My family and a few close friends began letting me practice my new found techniques on them.
As word of mouth spread, what started out as a hobby began to get a bit more serious. With a lot of great feedback I got the courage to start my own Instagram page. As a senior in college majoring in business, I thought all paths lead to the corporate world. After applying for one corporate job, which by the way still hasn't gotten back to me, my interest in other people's business' began to fade and interest in my own began to blossom.
Upon graduating from UMass Boston, I immediately enrolled in esthetics school with hopes of acquiring my license. While juggling class, baby sitting and a part time job, I made time for shaping brows from home as much as possible.
Then, with my license in hand, I began the hunt for an opportunity to pursue my dream. With a lot of plucks and a little bit of luck I found a place that would allow me to shape brows full time and grow my clientele.
As I was reaching the two year mark at this job, I stumbled upon an available retail space at Bow Market in Somerville. After much persistence in acquiring the space, learning how to open up my own shop, and figuring out the hardships of commercial construction, I opened the doors to my 184 sq. ft. space known as Brows by Renata in late May of 2018. I worked by myself and serviced all of my clients for about a year until I hired two girls to work alongside me. The interesting thing about this retail space was that the lease was relatively short. This gave me the opportunity to run my own small business and then see whether I wanted to renew my lease for a bit longer or pursue something elsewhere.
As my lease was coming to an end, I was presented with yet another opportunity to expand. I found an 1,000 sq. ft. space in Somerville, which would give my team and I the opportunity to work all at the same time and offer more services. This space was bare bones and I was able to build it out to suit our needs. I was able to work with a great architect and contractor who helped me create a salon that I had only seen through my vision board on Pinterest. That is when I changed my business name and RENATA & Co. opened in late January 2020.
These last few years have not been easy. I have learned so much about myself, the beauty industry, and my business. I am very grateful for every person who has trusted us with taking care of their brows, lashes and waxing needs.
So, to my client, followers, friends and family I want to say thank you for all the love and support you have given me throughout this journey.
love,
Renata