Now that the J.C. Penney in Chapel Hill Mall has undergone a mini makeover, customers have a chance to go get a makeover themselves.
Chapel Hill Mall has a new Sephora in J.C. Penney, selling a large range of cosmetics, fragrances, bath and body products, and beauty accessories that the department store didn’t previously carry.
Although the store already held a soft opening Saturday, it will hold an official grand opening Friday, giving away Sephora in J.C. Penney gift cards with values of up to $100 to the first 100 visitors as well as 600 additional gift bags “stuffed” with beauty samples. The store opens at 10 a.m.
The new boutique has a “pretty large footprint” in the store, said Rich Gotch, the manager of J.C. Penney. The 2,400-square-foot area of the new Sephora is situated in the middle of J.C. Penney, boxed in by glossy black walls and Sephora’s signature black and white stripes, creating a sort of store-within-a-store.
“It’s been very well received thus far,” Gotch said.
Sephora began working with J.C. Penney in 2006 to incorporate its products into the department stores nationwide.
The addition comes at a time when Chapel Hill Mall has been struggling with vacancies and high-profile stores pulling out, including the recent departure of one of its anchors, Macy’s.
Gotch sees Sephora as a bright spot for the mall.
“Sephora’s an attraction for J.C. Penney and quite frankly, I think the mall will benefit as well,” Gotch said. “It’s very magnetic.”
Gotch added this Sephora will attract people because it is the only one on the east side of Akron.
“I think Sephora will allow our customers to fill a niche in beauty products they haven’t been able to find on this side of town,” he said.
Customers seemed to agree.
“This is a lot more convenient than driving to Summit Mall,” said Stephanie Vollmer, an Akron resident who often shops at Sephora.
“I spend a lot of money at J.C. Penney, so I might as well spend a lot here, too,” said her mom, Paula Vollmer. “The mall needs it. I bet it’ll be very popular.”
The team at J.C. Penney had 90 days to prepare for the new boutique. It took six weeks to build, and then another six weeks to merchandise the store and train beauty consultants. The consultants, associates who were already working in J.C. Penney, each received 80 hours of training to learn about the different products and services Sephora offers.
“We are just so excited because we are one of the biggest Sephoras in J.C. Penney in Ohio,” said Nichole Smyczek, the senior education consultant at the new store. “We’re so excited to get our hands on every client who walks through the door.”
The consultants at the store provide free 15-minute makeovers with tutorials on how to create that look at home. They also have a Color IQ test, a tool that scans the surface of a customer’s skin and assigns a color IQ number, which reveals the best lip, foundation and concealer matches in the store.
“It’s so much more emotional than you would think Sephora would be,” said Ashley Keener, a project consultant, noting that she likes to make customers feel good about themselves. “And getting to merch a whole store was just a dream come true for me.”
Theresa Cottom can be reached at 330-996-3216 or tcottom@thebeaconjournal.com.