MY BIZ: Taking care of your skin

CEDAR RAPIDS — People react to cancer in different ways. In Amanda Pence’s case, it led to a new business.

“When you go through cancer and you feel like you’re going to die, you’re always questioning your identity,” said Pence, diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer.

“It really makes you dig deep in yourself and figure out, what do you want after this, if there is an after this? What is worth spending time and energy on?”

Pence, 40, had operated a makeup salon out of her Cedar Rapids home since 2011, three years after she moved to her husband Brian Pence’s hometown. The Louisiana native had worked in the field since graduating from the Aveda Institute, a cosmetology and skin-care training center in Houston, in 2001.

“My husband and I always said that once our kids were in high school, then we’d look at moving me out of the house,” she said. “Last year really changed everything. We can’t hold our breath and wait for tomorrow.”

Shortly after finishing chemotherapy last year, Pence happened to stop at Beauty EDIT, a boutique offering makeup, skin-care products and clothing opened by Nicole Reicher in March 2019. She learned Reicher had just been diagnosed with cancer, too.

“It was right around the time Nicole’s (cancer) was really escalating because one of her girls was in here, and we just started talking,” Pence said.

Reicher died in January, leading Pence to inquire about the business’ renovated vintage storefront, and she opened Far Above Rubies Spa on June 1.

The spa’s name

The name reflects another chance encounter when a friend happened to call as she was working on her business plan.

“When I was writing down the business plan, I just started praying,” Pence said. “She called and said ‘I don’t know why but I feel like you’re supposed to read Proverbs 31.’”

That Bible verse states, “Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies.” And Pence had the name for her business.

“I wanted this to be a head-to-toe place to come and find clean ingredients,” Pence said. “I had been trying to go along a holistic route for myself.

“I started coming across all these (product) lines, and I started to realize they were all women-owned businesses. It wasn’t planned, it just all started coming together.”

Consultations

The “spa” name reflects Pence’s shift away from clothing to makeup and skin-care consultations.

“I just do makeup lessons,” she said. “I have (customers) bring their stuff from home, so even if they’re not shopping here they have the knowledge of what to look for.”

That means natural products and a whole-body-and-mind philosophy.

“Our skin is our largest organ,” Pence said. “Not only are we absorbing what we’re eating and drinking, we also are absorbing externally. It’s really important what we’re putting on our bodies.

“My approach has always been to (asking) what are you eating, what are you drinking, is your stress level really high? Our skin showcases a lot of what’s going on internally.”

Empowering women

Pence plans a grand opening in the fall. In the meantime, she’s encouraged by customers who have followed her from her home-based salon.

“The greatest factor is word-of-mouth,” she said. “It was beautiful to see people referring. That’s the greatest compliment. I’m thankful.”

For now, Pence is the spa’s only full-time employee. Daughter McKenzie, 17, helps out a few days a week. She and her husband also have a son Riley, who’s 14. Long-term, Pence sees her business as a place to further empower women and girls.

“I want to grow this to the point where I’m able to bring in women who do not have an opportunity to be employed elsewhere because they didn’t have the education — women who are single moms or who may be just coming out of jail,” she said.

“It’s always been bigger, the vision in my mind.”

Know a business that should be considered for a “My Biz” feature? Let us know by emailing mary.sharp@thegazette.com.