The Polished Looks at Merle Norman Cosmetics
Nearly 25 years ago, Tina May had the opportunity to purchase a Merle Norman Cosmetics branch and has since turned it into a staple in the downtown community of Columbia.
“My husband and I owned a jewelry store right next door. I was already a Merle Norman customer, and the lady that had it at the time was expecting her first child and just wanted to go home and raise her child. She came to me and offered it to me,” May explained. “She said ‘You’ve been in retail, have the experience and know the Merle Norman product, would you be interested in buying my business?’ I said yes because I knew immediately I wanted it. I knew being self-employed allowed you to set your own hours, which was a plus because I knew I wanted children.”
Seven years into her ownership, May added a boutique into the business and named the store The Polished Looks at Merle Norman Cosmetics. The local shop located at 710 Main St. has been a hotspot ever since with its wide variety of products.
“We have a complete line of Merle Norman Cosmetics. We have products for skin care, a full line of foundations and color, which includes eye color, lip color and cheek color,” May said. “For the boutique, I carry a large line of Ivy Jane and Uncle Frank dresses. Ivy Jane is more casual tops and bottoms. Uncle Frank is mainly dresses that is based out of Dallas. I love the line because it fits all body types, but it’s still flattering. The quality is there. It’s a true boutique line, and I really fell in love with it when customers would come in after they bought a dress or a top three or four years later and tell me they still wear it today. It’s trendy enough, but not too trendy. It stays in style for a long time.”
May believes the quality in the products and her longstanding relationships with customers are what separates her business from similar ones in the area.
“Quality in my Merle Norman products,” she said. “I believe in Merle Norman because it is a good product and people know that when they wear it. We do have a money-back guarantee. If the customers do not like, we’ll give them cash back or credit, and that sets people at ease. They’re not afraid to try new things, and they know I’m going to be here. They know me, most of my customers know they can trust what I say because I’ve been here a long time. I only sell products that I can stand behind.”
While some businesses are always looking to move to a new, bigger location, May enjoys being a part of the downtown community.
“I take pride in it. I’ve had people call me and offer me places out on U.S. 98 to rent, but I can’t think of being any other place. I just love the downtown atmosphere,” she said. “I have people that come in from out of town that see me downtown, and they want to come in and look around because they love small downtown shops. I just enjoy being downtown.”
With summer coming to an end and fall on the horizon, The Polished Looks at Merle Norman Cosmetics has several new products ready to hit the shelves.
“My fall merchandise for both Ivy Jane and Uncle Frank have just started arriving, and I’ll keep getting shipments for the fall from now until October,” May said. “The first of November will kick off our Merle Norman holiday color collection, which if you buy two or more products, you’ll get a free gift. That in conjunction with the open houses for the shops in downtown and on the outer edges of Columbia in November is a big kickoff for the holiday shopping. People love coming in and getting a look of what’s coming in for the holiday season.”
The local shop also recently added a product that is designed to clear out your pores and has become extremely popular in recent months.
“We carry the charcoal mask that has been all the rage,” May said. “There’s a lot of brands out there and Merle Norman now has that product. It’s real popular right now, and it’s one of the new products we’re excited about.”
Another big draw for the downtown shop is makeovers for its customers.
“We do makeovers for special occasions like weddings, homecoming and prom. We do special occasion picture makeovers like for senior pictures,” May said. “If a customer has never used Merle Norman and would like to come in for a complete makeover using our new color collections, that is at no charge. Makeovers are free unless it’s for a special occasion.”
The Polished Looks at Merle Norman Cosmetics is open Monday through Friday 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. It can be reached by phone at (601) 736-7401 and on Facebook and Instagram.
Pictured Above: Tina May will celebrate owning the local store for 25 years this month. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
