Beauty World Shocker
Beauty world shocker: Vanity Lounge sold to energy mogul with big plans and new director
Only six months after the departure of makeup artist Edward Sanchez from Vanity Lounge, owners Diane and Michael Caplan have sold the makeup and beauty bar to entrepreneur Jimmy Montgomery, a long-time Houstonian who made his fortune in oil and gas logistics.
Defeating any notion that the oil field and the upscale beauty business don't mix, Montgomery has brought in esthetician Beatrice Zarco to run the swank salon where the focus will be not only on makeup and beauty treatments but also on skin care and skin problems. Zarco trained in California, Arizona and Austin before being lured to Houston by Montgomery.
The business plan is to eventually rebrand the salon, grow the business in West Ave and expand to other locations and other markets.
The new owner explained that Vanity Lounge had not been not for sale, rather he approached the Caplans in a cold call and the two teams eventually worked out the deal.
Although the signage in the West Ave beauty spot has yet to change, the interim name will be Vanity Lounge by Zarco. The sale was completed on Friday and work began almost immediately on a transformation and upgrading of the swank interiors.
"The facelift has already begun," Montgomery says. "Within a few weeks, customers will see very visible changes and improvements."
In addition to makeup, beauty and skin treatments, Vanity Lounge by Zarco is introducing the $18,000 Visia Complexion Analysis machine, a state-of-the art, high-tech skin evaluation tool or time machine that evaluates a client's skin condition on screen and in print reports and tracks the client's progress through treatments.
Zarco has already introduced PCA skincare products and makeup to the salon that will offer sugaring, threading, waxing and the full coterie of beauty services.
The business plan is to eventually rebrand the salon, grow the business in West Ave and expand to other locations and other markets.