Glendale's New Boutique Riley Rose is Set to Makeover the Makeup Industry
Glendale’s new beauty boutique, Riley Rose, is set to makeover the makeup industry.
By Sara Smola
Who or what is Riley Rose? Answer: the beauty brainchild of sisters Linda and Esther Chang. With its first ever storefront newly opened at the Glendale Galleria in fall 2017, Riley Rose has taken off as a go to spot for discovering (and subsequently grabbing before they fly off the shelves) the latest brands.
Though this is their first foray into building a brand, the Chang sisters are no stranger to the retail scene, growing up as the daughters of the founders of fast fashion megastore Forever 21. After gaining valuable experience in marketing and visual merchandising at Forever 21, the sisters became aware of a hole in the market for beauty products geared toward a younger generation. Though Riley Rose may be “brought to you by Forever 21” (and the Chang sisters), its offerings are vastly different.
While Forever 21 stocks their own very affordable beauty products (and has plans to continue to do so), Riley Rose ups the beauty game with on-trend brands like R+CO, Stila and RMS. And Riley Rose offers a generous Korean beauty section boasting a bevy of overseas brands including heavy hitter Tonymoly (a cult beauty brand touted in national publications including Vogue), known for its miracle-performing sheet masks and quirky packaging.
With the goal of introducing new items to its customers, there’s a constant rotation of products coming through the store. If you see something, grab it before it’s too late—once it’s gone, it may be gone for good! And while there is a Riley Rose website, many of the store’s products won’t be available online as the Chang sisters want their customers to enjoy the full Riley Rose shopping experience as what they feel it should be fun and playful, and about discovering the constant stream of new brands and products on the shelves.
Riley Rose’s selection isn’t just limited to makeup either. With an estimated 200 brands offered throughout the store, only about half are beauty related. Standing out from makeup bigwigs like Sephora and Ulta, Riley Rose offers a multifaceted shopping experience with its candy section (with both Asian candies and sugary treats from Dylan’s Candy Bar), accessories (think cell phone covers and funky sunglasses), and homewares ranging from coffee mugs and candles to mini plants in ceramic pots and brightly colored tchotchkes. There’s also fun stocking stuffers like confetti poppers, as well as giftable goodies like the celeb-coveted BKR water bottles.
