After spending years in New York in the beauty industry — first at Fresh then Shiseido — Yee-Lynn Chen moved home to Atlanta to tackle a new challenge: retailing.
In December, she opened Beauty Maven, a 920-square-foot store in the heart of Atlanta’s eclectic Little Five Points, amidst tattoo parlors, rockabilly clubs and vintage shops. “The east side of Atlanta was lacking in the personal-care category, and I wanted to alleviate the strain of going to the mall, which is quite a trip, especially in traffic, from this part of town,” Chen said.
Beauty Maven stocks an array of cool brands, including Malin + Goetz, Bliss and Deborah Lippmann, plus lesser-known lines like Shiro and Tam Saves the Day. Chen also showcases local art and uses her space for pop-up events. But she’s not stopping at beauty: Chen is already making expansion plans under the parent Southern Maven moniker, including Style Maven, Baby Maven and more.
