In the makeup category, clean beauty has been on the rise. According to Mintel, “82% of consumers are using more clean products, and 72% agree that ‘clean beauty’ is more important to them this year than last year.” For Bobbi Brown, an industry legacy, creating another reputable brand to lead the trend made sense. Conceived out of a form for makeup that enhances rather than obscures, Jones Road reflects the philosophy that beauty products should make you look as natural as possible. “Jones Road is really focused on makeup that makes you look like you’re not wearing makeup, but you just look so much better,” Brown shared.
The company has seen immense success since its inception in 2020, with over $100 million in sales in 2023. After opening its first store in late 2021, it opened five more locations, including its Williamsburg store earlier this month. The choice of location was a strategic decision in an area the brand has been seeking for some time. Like many of the brand’s existing locations, it is off the main street on Metropolitan Ave, around the corner from the well-known breakfast spot, Jack’s Wife Freda, and retail stores like Faherty and Casper. Although many competitors and like-minded brands choose to be on main streets, Jones Road has found that its customers come to it regardless of the foot traffic in surrounding areas.
The Williamsburg Store
Jones Road’s retail spaces are more than just points of sale; they are curated experiences that reflect the local character while staying true to the brand’s core values. Each store is designed in-house, with design elements thoughtfully chosen to resonate with its locale. “In Williamsburg, we have designers who have made T-shirts and drawings of the Brooklyn Bridge,” Brown details, highlighting the local-centric approach. Christina Gliha has done drawings for six of the brand’s stores, and Jones Road’s creative director, Erin Silverman, collaborated with a brand friend, Ben Leesie, to design a t-shirt for the new location. This strategy extends beyond aesthetics, where the company is working on fostering a genuine connection between the brand and its community.
Brown elaborates on the store’s atmosphere, aiming for an environment where customers feel valued and welcomed. “I always want someone when they come in to be treated the way I would want to be treated if I walk in the door,” she said, setting a standard for customer interaction beyond mere transaction to genuine engagement.
The Williamsburg store and other locations also offer makeup lessons and services to help customers get glammed up for events. Customers can book appointments or walk in and receive lessons from the in-store makeup artists. The brand finds that many customers are already familiar with the brand but need the stores to get more confident with the product, “a lot of people will see our ads, but they’re not quite confident enough to shop online. So stores are a great way to get people over the fence, try the products for the first time, and work with somebody on our team and get shade matched,” stated Cody Plofker, CMO at Jones Road.
Retail Growth and Future Plans
Jones Road’s expansion is strategic and organic, focusing on establishing a presence in areas with an existing customer base and potential for market penetration. It plans to introduce store-exclusive products, enhancing the shopping experience and encouraging more personal interactions with the brand. “We’re starting to talk about special things that are only going to be available in the store,” Brown hints, suggesting an exciting evolution of the retail experience.
Despite the brand’s expansion, wholesale remains a minimal aspect of its strategy, maintaining a singular focus on its direct relationship with consumers. “We have one wholesale account in the world, and that’s Liberty,” Brown states, sharing the exclusive partnership with the famed British department store while affirming her commitment to preserving the integrity and focused distribution of the brand.
The makeup category tends to be heavily distributed through wholesale, with minimal direct-to-consumer, especially in stores. However, more legacy brands, like MAC Cosmetics, have succeeded with the brand store concepts, and young DTC companies like Glossier and Byredo are continuously opening new locations. Glossier now has 10 locations in the US, and Byredo has 16 in the US, with more internationally. Therefore, although wholesale is the leading distribution for many brands, retail and stores have proven successful and complimentary to overall business success.
No specific locations have been announced for Jones Road’s future stores, but retail currently makes up just less than 10% of its business. The brand is located in Montclair, NJ, East Hampton, Palm Beach, New York, and Chicago and plans to continue growing in the Northeast and nationwide.
As Jones Road continues to carve out its niche in the competitive beauty landscape, it does so with a commitment to integrity and community engagement that is distinctly Bobbi Brown. The new Williamsburg store is just the beginning and an example of what’s to come.
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Jul. 30, 2024: An earlier version of this article stated Jones Road’s first store opened in 2022. The first store in Montclair opened in late 2021.
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