Meet one of our vendors for May 27-28th weekend! Rochelle, or how she likes to call herself – the Roaming Artist, will be offering Henna design services at the pop-up this weekend!

Who are the brains behind Pure Serenity Spa? Tell us a bit about yourself. 

I, Rochelle, am the brains behind the business! I am the Sole Esthetician at Pure Serenity Spa. I have 7 years of experience in the industry; Graduated with Distinction from John Casablancas Institute of Fine Arts as a Certified Esthetician & Lash Technician, and from BCIT with a Certificate in Business Management.

Esthetics has always been a passion of mine! Every since I was young, I was very much into Nails, Makeup & Henna. Esthetics was the natural next step, to finally become certified to do what I love; what a dream! This was not always the path I thought I was going to take but once I started working with clients, I realized that this is the path I’m supposed to be taking.

What first inspired you to start doing henna? How did you get started? 

Henna is very prominent in my culture so I grew up around it. I never really thought of myself as having an artistic side until I started playing with Henna. With practice, comes perfection and I became obsessed. It brings me great joy when my client walks out of a treatment completely rejuvenated & already looking forward to their next visit. Nothing can replace that instant gratification!

What is your favourite part about your job? 

I absolutely love meeting new people and this job has allowed me to do that. I get the opportunity to work in & outdoors, it offers me great flexibility, and I get instant gratification with my work. With the Esthetics world, it is constantly evolving so there is always more to learn and I look forward to that.

Do you have any tips for people thinking of starting their own small business? Or attending a market for the first time? What do you wish you knew for your first market?  

The biggest tip I can give people starting out is never give up. It requires a lot of hard work & determination! As for attending your first market, START SMALL! The worst thing you can do is overwhelm yourself but digging a hole too deep. I started really small with just the basics and grew from there. Also, check out what other vendors are doing (ones that sell similar services/products) and use them as a guideline (don’t straight up copy). At my first markets, I talked to a lot of vendors and they were able to give me some valuable information so the biggest tip there is talk to people. Communication is so important!

What’s your favourite part about living in the lower mainland? 

When it is nice, being outside is my favorite thing to do! The Lower Mainland has so much to offer & things to do.