Meet Joseph Berck and Jaime Gonzalez of Bloom Handcrafted Beauty Products in East Downtown

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joseph Berck and Jaime Gonzalez.

Joseph and Jaime, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I, Joseph, have worked in beauty for over 15 years, and worked for many well-known makeup and skincare brands that started off small and helped contribute to their success in turning them into large household names. When working in the naturals arena, in both skincare and makeup, I fell in love with the products, knowing that these products were clean and free of any toxic ingredients. This sparked an idea to start a natural beauty product line that included all things beauty such as skincare, bath and body, haircare, and makeup. Then there’s Jaime, my husband, who has over ten years of experience in Graphic Design, and in Business Management, he jumped on board and wanted to start a business and work for himself. After much trial and error, starting a line with a manufacturer was too costly. We changed direction and started to make our own natural handcrafted beauty products. At that point in time, a major retailer did allow local makers to sell their handmade beauty products to their in-house store buyer directly, to house their products in-store.

But unfortunately the program was discontinued and now those makers do not have that opportunity available to them. Here in Houston, TX we have so many talented artisans that have a passion for the art of natural, handcrafted beauty, with the knowledge in creating sophisticated, and handmade, skincare, bath, and body care. This sparked the idea for us to be the first ever Handcrafted Beauty Product Store that housed products from local makers, giving them a platform to showcase their products like they did before. We networked with makers at our local farmer’s markets presented the idea and brought them into our store. We started a trial period first by renting a booth space the Heights, and later found a storefront in the East End District, at the Tlaquepaque Market of Eastwood Shopping Center. We grand opened on July 20, 2018 and the rest is history.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It has not been easy, some sacrifices were made. Jaime made the decision to resign his full-time job to run the business himself while I stayed at work to have a steady source of income. Not all of the small businesses were on board considering that for many of them, this was the first time someone wanted to partner up with them and sell their product. Many makers are protective of their business. As we understand, your business if your baby, and you must trust whoever you chose to represent your brand outside yourself.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Bloom Handcrafted Beauty Products – what should we know?
Bloom Handcrafted Beauty Products is a retailer in Houston, TX. Everything in store is handmade and sourced by local businesses and artisans who specialize in natural, handcrafted beauty. We also open the store to carry brands from other parts of the country that share the same passion in creating quality handcrafted beauty products. We offer small brands a platform to showcase their products and make them available to the public all week long verses trying to find their local maker at a market. Houston has a strong local economy, and there are many small retailers who offer small businesses a platform as well to showcase their products in store as well- but what sets us apart is that we only feature handcrafted beauty products. Not apparel, leather goods, and jewelry.

We are most proud creating something that is new, first of its kind in Houston. Offering quality handcrafted beauty products without the toxic ingredients in a low-income area that does not break the bank.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
As always, friends and family played a great role in supporting our vision, they were our first customers and they helped with getting our name out to the community. The local businesses here at Tlaquepaque Market have been so supportive and welcomed us with opened arms. They regularly tell their customers about our store, spreading the word. Finally our brand partners, without them, there is no us.

Contact Info:

• Address: 742 B Telephone Rd
• Website: BloomHBP.com
• Phone: 8326630429
• Email: contact@bloomhbp.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/bloomhbp
• Facebook: facebook.com/bloomhbp
• Twitter: twitter.com/bloomhbp
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/bloom-handcrafted-beauty-products-houston

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