Beauty. Blowouts. Brows. is the tagline of Arch Apothecary, a new business in the Third Ward that brings a fresh twist to the traditional salon model. “We’re not really a salon,” Betsy Branca, owner of Arch Apothecary says about her business. “We are a luxury beauty boutique that offers express services, and we also have a huge selection of makeup, hair, skincare and more cosmetic products.”
The name Arch is a nod to the boutique’s main service, eyebrow waxing, but Branca and company provide a swath of beauty services primarily aimed at women who are getting ready for a night on the town or for that special event.
Branca got the idea for Arch Apothecary while she was working at an eyebrow bar in Chicago. “When I saw clients in Chicago, I noticed that there was a need for a place where you can get ready all in one spot,” she says. “I just wanted all of that under one roof, because I saw in Chicago how people just bounced around and it seemed really stressful.” She returned to her hometown of Rockford, Ill., and opened the first location in 2011.
Since opening in Rockford, Branca has expanded the business to Chicago in 2012 and Madison in 2015, bringing on business partners Emma Brearly and Cera Fass along the way. Arch’s fourth location, at 249 N. Water St. in the Third Ward, opened in November and Branca says it has taken to the neighborhood quite nicely.
“The thing I like about the Third Ward is that it’s in the shopping district,” Branca says. “There is always, especially on the weekends, that traffic of people shopping. I love being around a lot of the restaurants, and the clientele is great. Everyone has been reacting very positively.”
In addition to the services, Arch sells a wide array of beauty products in-store. Products sold at Arch are typically higher-end and harder to find at chain retailers like Ulta and Sephora. Some of Branca’s favorites include: RMS Beauty, a natural makeup line; By Terry, a French makeup line; and Eminence, an organic skincare line.
“The products that we use are all very curated,” she says. “These brands are very hard to find. They have more of a niche following.” Arch also has a wedding division, and partners with a company, La Marie Beauty that does injectables like Botox and fillers in store.
Since Arch opened back in 2011, the idea of a one stop shop for getting ready before going out has a become incredibly popular. Branca offers a simple explanation for why. “It’s a pick me up that people like,” she says. “If you’re living your daily stressful life, working all the time, you may not want to do it all yourself. You may want to walk into a place and have people figure that out for you. It makes the customer feel great.”
You can learn more about Arch Apothecary by visiting their website here.
