Business

Detroit Native Who Was on 'Shark Tank' Opening Flagship Store, The Lip Bar

February 18, 2019, 5:36 PM


Melissa Butler right after the State of the City address in southwest Detroit. (Deadline Detroit photo)

Detroit native Melissa Butler, who got a shoutout last year during Mayor Mike Duggan's State of the City address, celebrates the grand opening of her flagship store, The Lip Bar, on Saturday in Parker's Alley, a retail section behind the Shinola Hotel downtown, Micah Walker of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Butler founded The Lip Bar in 2012. The cosmetics brand offers vegan and cruelty-free lipsticks and lip glosses.

In 2015, she got national attention on ABC's "Shark Tank," where the celebrity investors turned her down. 

A Cass Tech High School graduate, she ended up as a banker on Wall Street in 2008.

After a couple years into that job, she created a company, The Lip Bar, and started making lipstick with natural ingredients in her kitchen. Nearly four years ago, she returned home to continue pursuing her business.

"Our Lipstick is made of a unique blend of natural ingredients and then loaded with pigment to give you kick-ass colors," her website says. "Each lipstick is enriched with shea butter, avocado oil, coconut oil and vitamin E for maximum moisture."

Duggan mentioned during his speech last year at Western International High School that she got a $75,000 loan from Entrepreneurs of Color Fund, which helped her fill orders for Target stores.

Butler, 32, runs a pop-up shop on Agnes Street in Detroit's West Village neighborhood and has a California manufacturer mass producing her product, she told Deadline Detroit last year. 

A store preview will be held from 5 p.m-7 p.m. on Friday, and guests will be able to receive goodie bags. The grand opening will be held from 12 noon to 7 p.m. on Saturday and it will feature discounts and giveaways, the Freep reports.

Last year, after the State of the City address, she spoke to Deadline Detroit.


Read more:  Detroit Free Press


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