Last month I visited Mommy’s Retreat, a unique beauty salon located in Tarzana. Not only is it a full-service beauty salon, but it offers two supervised kids play areas – making this the perfect place to get glam for busy Valley moms!
Earlier this summer, I met Hermine Abkarian at the SoCalMoms Great Big Family Play Day. Hermine & her team had a booth at the children’s festival. The concept of Mommy’s Retreat sounded really cool & we connected via email the following week. When I arrived at Mommy’s Retreat, I was surprised to find out that it is owned & operated by three sisters, Angela Kokchyan, Hermine Abkarian & Rosie Nehme!
I’m very intrigued by this business model for a salon & wanted to learn more about how these sisters came up with the idea.
Please meet the latest Real Moms of the SFV – Angela Kokchyan, Hermine Abkarian & Rosie Nehme!
(Image source: Hermine Abkarian)
How/why did you begin your business?
Hermine: Mommy’s Retreat was started by myself and my two sisters due to the lack of such a business in the beauty industry. My sisters Rosie and Angela have been in the beauty industry for over 10 years and I have a background in business management for over 15 years and we had talked about getting into business with each other for several years but nothing was every “different” enough until we came up with Mommy’s Retreat. Mommy’s Retreat was an idea that we had after having kids of our own and seeing the lack of this type of a salon in the industry. Once we figured out that this was the path we wanted to go with, the rest just happened so quick and here we are a year into it.
As working mothers, what is one tip or piece of advice that you would give to other female entrepreneurs?
All: As working moms, one major advice we would like to give to other female entrepreneurs is to always go for it. Never take a “no” and settle with it. If you hear 10 “nos” there is always going to be that one “yes” and that’s all you need. Female support is the best! Get to know your local moms, get to know your local female owned businesses because by helping each other, you go further and are more supported and successful.
What do you like best about having a business in the San Fernando Valley?
All: We all live locally, so owning a business in the neighborhood you live in makes it great.
If there was one thing you wish you knew before you began your business, what would that be?
All: Going into any new business is hard as it is. We have always worked for other people so having a business of our own is scary but also so rewarding. One thing that we wish we knew before going into the business is knowing where to look for local support for a start-up business. Joining local organizations has totally helped us.
For more information on Mommy’s Retreat, visit their website here. Also don’t forget to check out the salon’s Facebook page so that you can get the latest updates!
Disclosure: No monetary compensation was received for this post. The image shown in this post is used with permission. As always, my opinions are 100% my own.
What a great idea! We need more places that are parent friendly!
A friend of mine was saying the same thing! She is hoping that they open one in Torrance. Here’s hoping that they are able to franchise it! 🙂