Kindersley Chamber Feature Dawn Climenhaga, of Merle Norman Cosmetics
“It’s not your grandma’s makeup anymore!”
So says Dawn Climenhaga, owner of the Merle Norman Cosmetics store in the Kindersley East Crossing Mall. After 90 years of innovation and “making lives beautiful” Merle Norman Cosmetics continues to thrive and survive in spite of wars, economic challenges, and pandemics.
The Merle Norman franchise first saw light in Kindersley in 1983 and was located in the Kindersley Mall. It changed hands a few times until September of 2015 when Dawn took the plunge and purchased the outlet from then owner, Tracy Cook. As she jokes “It’s my retirement project!” in 2017, she made a big decision and built a brand new store at East Crossing Mall, which opened on November 1st of that year, providing a fresh new look and much-needed extra space.
The Merle Norman Cosmetics products go way back to 1931 when founder Merle Norman was mixing her skincare products in a pot on her kitchen stove in Los Angeles. She was determined to empower women to feel better about themselves and, to her, having good quality skincare and makeup was an important first step. The company head office is still located in L.A. and that’s where Dawn and her daughter went for five days of training to become a fully-fledged owner/operator of the Kindersley location. The store is visited by someone from the head office annually, just to see how things are going.
Dawn is a born and raised native of Kindersley and went to university in Saskatoon, becoming a CPA. She was busy in that field for 35 years before making the change to entrepreneur. She still works on a casual basis for MNP in town.
Merle Norman Cosmetics has an enduring heritage of top-quality products, offering a full range of skincare and cosmetics in an inviting “studio atmosphere.” You can stop by for a skincare assessment, a free express facial, a foundation check or a mini make-up lesson.
Dawn strongly believes in the Merle Norman “Try before you buy” policy. Both she and the people at Merle Norman want you to be happy and satisfied with your purchase and if you need a little demonstration about the best way to apply a product, that’s never a problem. Merle Norman even offers a full 30-day return policy. They are there to look after YOU!
Merle Norman Cosmetics is still innovating and changing things for the better. They still sell the original three products that Merle was mixing on her stove, Miracol (face mask), Cleansing Cream and a Powder Based Foundation. Dawn also offers unique bath and body gifts as well as candles, dish and hand soap, and other products too numerous to list here. She also stocks some earrings and other jewellery, accepts phone orders and will ship products to you if you can’t make it to the store.
Dawn is a big believer in shopping locally and has built up an impressive and loyal clientele since she bought the business.
Does she have any regrets about being an entrepreneur? “No, not really. Every day is a chance to make a difference in someone’s life.” In these times of online shopping and automated voice calls, Dawn believes customers appreciate being able to have a conversation, ask questions and visit–some real life interaction!
Merle Norman Cosmetics is a member of the Kindersley Chamber of Commerce and also part of the shopkindersley.ca program.
In Merle Norman’s own words, “Friendships are vitamins for the soul.”
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