Mena’s Merle Norman Skin Care and Cosmetics

BY JACLYN ROSE – 

Shanna Leach and her husband, Brandon, grew up in Yale County but moved to Conway, Arkansas, over nine years ago.  When their oldest daughter, Kynzie, currently a nursing student, graduated high school they decided they were ready to get back to country life.  “I went on a float trip several years ago on the Caddo River and it was so gorgeous.  I told my husband I wanted to look for a house there and then I asked him if he had ever been to Mena, which he had not.  We fell in love with the area and found a house with 26 acres north of Rich Mountain.  We moved here, along with my youngest daughter, Karlea, a Mena High School junior, last June. It’s perfect, except for the fact that no one told me about all the black bears,” said Leach with a laugh.  “We really have enjoyed getting back to the simplicity of small town living.”

Leach worked in cosmetology for 15 years and has worn Merle Norman make-up for over 20 years.  “Every woman in my family, sisters, aunts, grandma, mother, all use Merle Norman Skin Care and Cosmetics.  I’ve used it since high school,” said Leach.  After moving to Polk County she was saddened to learn she would have to drive to Fort Smith or Hot Springs to buy her make up, so she called Merle Norman Headquarters to learn, Susan Berruquin had just decided to open a studio in Mena.  “Several months later I went to the local Merle Norman Studio and Suzy and I hit it off.  We visited over an hour but I never told her my interest in running my own studio.  I left and went straight home and there was a message waiting on my phone from Merle Norman saying Susan Berruquin was ready to sell.  She had a second store in Nashville and the commute was too much.  I started working with her in December and took over the store January 15, 2015,” explained Leach.

Merle Norman has been in business since the first store opened in Santa Monica, California in 1931.  Currently, there are over 2,000 independently owned and operated Studios in the United States and abroad.  “I have been a hair dresser for 15 years but the cosmetic side was always my passion.  I think if a woman looks good, she will feel good and perform better.  Through the years, I would try another brand or product, but I would always go back to Merle Norman.  I love the longevity of the business and the products we sell.  I have made so many new friends already.  I have clients who have used Merle Norman for decades and clients that have never heard of it before but that I have transformed in to ‘Merle Girls.’  The convenience of being able to purchase high quality cosmetics and skin care without leaving Polk County is such an asset to the ladies in the community,” explained Leach.

The Mena Merle Norman Studio is located at 410 Sherwood Avenue, Suite 4, and is open Monday through Friday from 10 am until 5:30 pm and Saturday from 10 am until 3 pm.  You can reach them by calling 479.394.3777.  They offer a complete line of skin care products, make-up brushes and color cosmetics, as well as, free express facials, makeovers and special occasion make-up.  They also offer free make-up lessons and free foundation checks.

About Author

Jeri Pearson

Jeri is the News Director for Pulse Multi-Media and Editor of The Polk County Pulse. She has 10 years of experience in community focused journalism and has won multiple press association awards.

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