Melapop Co-Op & SPA + Stem Skin & Institute

Women of color around the world find themselves constantly being forgotten, ridiculed, and downright copied by the beauty industry. Thanks to successful launches such as Fenty beauty, today’s women are both on the hunt for and demanding more inclusion from brands they know and love. With that in mind, we came up with the concept of a Sephora like beauty hub for people of color. A beauty space created by those of color made up of brands that cater specifically to people of color.

Melapop co-op & Spa is a space for those who long for representation in the beauty industry. It’s a space created solely with creativity and education in mind and fills a gap addressed by no other beauty store in the US. We’re building a space where brown beauty is celebrated and innovation is recognized.

We believe in the inclusion and empowerment of people of color. Melapop is interested in like-minded investors who can help us make our idea, space, and community bigger. We believe finding investors who share our values and believe in our vision is a core part of our future growth and success.

*All color, fragrance, and hair brands inside of Melapop will be at least 50% brown owned.

SCHOLARSHIP MODEL

At the core of our business is a scholarship model that offers in-state tuition to those in the surrounding community who meet specific socioeconomic needs and are interested in obtaining their esthetic or cosmetology license OR obtaining a two/four-year degree in the STEM field. Every year we'll fund three full scholarships.

SPECIFICS OF MELAPOP:

WHAT WE OFFER
Melapop is a beautifully-designed, modern space where beauty and technology collide. Melapop co-op & spa will be offering beauty and incubation services tailored to people of color, making it easy for them to be their best selves. Our innovative business model focusses on both beauty and creativity. The core of our business is made up of four main components:

• Retail ~ the option to shop instore during normal business hours or 24/7 online at melapop.co
• Incubation ~ We are proud to offer brands the chance to have specific beta launches and products be featured in-store. The idea behind this is to allow brands the chance to showcase products in a space where they can both reach their target demo and get direct and constant feedback from their target audiences.
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• Events ~ This is where education and play meet, we will offer various events based on customer interest. Customers will also have the chance to host their own in-store private events

• Education ~ The Stem & Skin institute will be located inside of Melapop Co-Op and Spa we are proud to offer a beauty institute that provides prospective estheticians a unique advantage when getting their education. our institute will specialize in skin treatments without the distraction of other Cosmetology areas like hair. we believe that Esthetics school should be affordable.  So We’ve taken affordability to a new level by offering a tuition rate that is much lower than other schools and flexible payment plans that are built around the student We know that practice makes perfect, so we will be keeping our students busy with hands-on training at no extra charge.  Students also receive discounted services at the Spa, allowing them to experience professional services in an actual spa to further enrich their learning.
  • The stem Skin institute will also offer comprehensive skincare information, events, and classes for currently licensed professionals.

THE SPACE
We're creating a physical space where the community can learn, play, and create. The physical location will include:

• Cozy, luxe furnishings conducive to work and play.
• A beauty space outfitted with products for every skin and hair type.
• A spa for customers to relax, and enjoy custom facials, waxing, and skin services.
• A school fully complaint with TDLR standards for prospective estheticians to be able to complete their hours.
• Our amenities range from the stuff that makes you look and feel amazing, along with recharged, relaxed, and prepared. We will have beauty bars with product for all skin types. No seriously, ALL types. A spa area specifically for skincare services. Skin services provided by professionals equipped to handle all skin types and concerns.

SERVICES

Melapop offers services that make it easier for people of color to stay inspired and feel both empowered and celebrated. We've designed our services around representation, creativity, and the hope to change the current standard of beauty.

Services include:

• Beauty services: color, nail, and skin services with a focus on catering to people of color.

Events
A rich calendar of classes and events featuring national and local personalities. Learning opportunities for personal and professional growth.

Our content calendar is filled with 3+ events per week including a mix of:

• Social mixers
• Empowering classes with a variety of focuses: Beauty Science, Skincare misconceptions, live hair and cosmetic tutorials ect.. hosted by local and nationally known artists, entrepreneurs, dermatologists, estheticians, and spa owners as featured speakers.
• Product launches

Customer Memberships and Rewards:

Melapop will offer two different memberships and one free rewards program.

Rewards:

Melapop will offer a free rewards program to customers that will allow you to earn points on every dollar spent on merchandise and beauty service purchases you will be able to redeem those points for rewards and money off future purchases.

• Points for every dollar spent on products, services, and at melapop.co
• Bonus points will be available through email and during in-store events
• For every 800 points earned get a free service **limit one redemption per calendar year.

SPA MEMBERSHIP
SPA MEMBERSHIP ($3,575)
 

We're offering a limited number of Spa Memberships at a $3,575 flat rate. There are 150 Spa Memberships available only through IFW. Early Membership with Melapop purchased through IFW entitles you to:

•  three beauty treatments per month for a complete year at no additional cost.

Choose from the following options:

• • Microdermabrasion
  • Chemical Peel (TCA or Glycolic)
  • Acne Facial
  • Pore cleansing Facial
  • Customized Facial
  • Lash Tint
  • Brow Tint
  • Brow Wax
  • Eyelash extensions
  • Brightening treatment
  • Body wax
  • Teeth whitening
  • Yoni Steam Treatments
  • Eyelift
  • Laser Hair Removal
  • Men's facial
  • Dermaplaning Facial
  • Microblading
  • Micro-needling
  • Peptide Facial
  • Anti-aging treatments

• 10% off all additional treatments throughout the year
• Receive two transferable free service vouchers for friends and family
• Access to three free classes for a full calendar year

WHY CROWDFUNDING?
We explored many different paths to funding Melapop co-op & Spa + Stem + Skin institute including traditional funding from VCs, investors, and banks. But at the end of the day, those options don't reflect our mission of being built by the community, for the community. Nor do they value the same things we do: we're building Melapop because it's part of our life's work - we're not building it to scale it and sell it. We believe the power of Melapop lies with the community so we decided to turn to IFW, a female-dominated crowdfunding platform, to get the job done. Funds secured through our crowdfunding campaign will be used to build out our physical space, the most critical component of both Melapop and the Stem & Skin Institute.

FOUNDERS:

Melapop was founded by  Starasia Abraham, a licensed esthetician, chemical engineer, and beauty enthusiast with a passion for education and resource. Starasia has extensive experience in the beauty industry since beginning her career in a small role at 16 years old, and though she climbed the ranks to prominent leadership positions within her industry, she came to the realization that the world she was trying to succeed in was not built for her, she then decided it was time to build an empire of her own.