Lauren Brunell, is feeling pretty good about downtown Clarendon Hills being the location for her first business.
Brunell, who has a work background in human resources, took over the storefront at 7 S. Prospect Ave. June 1 and plans to open La Vie En Rose Apothecary in September. Her business replaces Divine Treasures, which has closed.
“La Vie En Rose Apothecary’s inspiration is in its name,” she said. ‘La Vie En Rose’ translates to ‘life in pink.’ It is the idea of trying to see beauty in the everyday. As such, we aim to delight customers with clean, green, and simple beauty products, fragrance, unique jewelry and accessories, high quality gifts, wellness products and a bit of French whimsy.
“Our goal is to simplify the selection, offer cleaner beauty options and ultimately reduce the stress of shopping.”
Brunell said the store’s strong French influence and old-world charm are inspired by the boutiques in the French Quarter of New Orleans where she grew up.
While this is her first business, Brunell has been thinking about a venture like this for several years.
“I have wanted to create something of my own, on and off, over the past 10 years, but I never truly felt inspired by any of my business ideas until I realized that I could blend many of these ideas and put them under one roof in an apothecary,” she said.
“I have always been a bit of a walking infomercial to my friends, and after being frequently asked, ‘Where did you get that?’ or ‘What product do you use for X?,’ I realized that I truly enjoy discovering new and unique things and sharing them with friends and family. I was already doing this on a smaller level and then something clicked. and I knew the time was right and that it would be really fun to do it on a larger scale.”
Brunell said she plans to sell seven different categories of merchandise, each with its own inspiration, at La Vie En Rose Apothecary.
“I have always believed in the power of fragrance, so I knew from the onset that I would offer lots of fragrance products, such as perfume, candles, and diffusers,” she said. “There are so many chemicals and synthetic ingredients in beauty products, and with the increased interest in skincare by many very young people, it felt critical that I offer cleaner, green, and natural options.
“Research shows that people are spending increased time on their wellness/skincare routines, so I wanted to help people simplify their routines and save time. I specifically sought out products that are dual-purposed — think candle that melts down into hand lotion.”
Brunell teaches yoga at CorePower in Hinsdale and through conversations with students there came to realize that there is considerable interest in wellness products, massage tools, and healthy ingredients.
“However, people are often unfamiliar with the variety of products that exist, or they have no idea where to find them,” she said, giving such examples as unique massage tools, yoga props, muscle balms, etc. and more.
“It was important to me that I offer healthier products that people may not be familiar with or find readily available,” she said. “I specifically sourced small-batch products and products with unique ingredients.”
Finally, Brunell said, she wanted to offer a mix of products, either locally made or produced by women and minority owned businesses.
“Moreover, many products are produced by sustainable companies or companies that give back a portion of their proceeds to charity,” she said. “Almost every product that I will offer in my store falls into at least one, if not several, of these categories.”
When she decided to go ahead with her desire to open her own business, Brunell said she almost exclusively looked for storefront space in Clarendon Hills.
“It was my ideal location from the beginning,” she said. “Not only is it minutes from my home, it is also the community in which my family spends a substantial amount of our time.”
Brunell said her children play sports on several Clarendon Hills teams and go to school with, and do activities with, many kids who live in the village.
“I love that the downtown area seems to be gaining some momentum, as there are several new restaurants and shops that have opened in Clarendon Hills post-COVID,” she said. “I knew that the vibe of my shop could add to the small-town charm that has been cultivated there. It has a good energy. I also appreciate that there is lots of foot traffic coming to and from the trains.”
Brunell said she hopes to draw shoppers from nearby communities by partnering with vendors to hold special events.
“I also believe I will attract customers from the surrounding suburbs with my curated selection of products that are not offered in nearby stores,” she said. “I hope La Vie En Rose will be a place where people can come and find something new and unique every visit. It will be a place where shoppers can not only find treasures to help them live life with rose colored glasses but also a place where they can stop and literally smell the roses.”
Clarendon Hills Village Manager Zach Creer said it’s good to see another new retail business getting ready to open in the downtown area.
“As part of this business opening, the Village is working with the property owner to make investments to improve the building, which is the first building coming south on Prospect Avenue and is prominent from the train,” he said. “We are excited to see someone able to make the necessary investments to fit their business into the space.”
Chuck Fieldman is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.