Kelly and Scott Belanger opened In the Clover on Main St. in Wiscasset last May because, Kelly said, she saw many small stores selling great products up and down the coast, but none that offered everything in one place.
She wanted to model her store after a European apothecary, offering bath products, skin care, beauty aids, and perfume without the pharmacy aspect. Her focus was on high quality products everyone can afford, Belanger said.
“I wanted to offer products accessible to people in the community, and not just serve the interests of the summer crowd,” she said. “I saw the need for a lower priced boutique. For $5 to $50, someone can come here and buy a beautiful product that delivers results.”
Belanger’s extensive background in retail management and buying, as well as her lifelong interest in fragrance and body care, assisted her when opening In the Clover, she said.
This time of year a lot of customers come into her store complaining of intensely dry skin, sometimes with cracking and itching. Belanger recommends Yu-be moisturizer. It has a unisex fragrance, and may be used anywhere on the body.
“This is our top selling product,” Belanger said. “This product works great. People come back with testimonials all the time. It even works for hives, eczema, and psoriasis.”
Yu-be is available as a cream or a lotion, and sells for between $16 and $30 a tube, depending on the size. Belanger said Yu-be just came out with a new lip balm, which is available for $5.95.
A vast array of Mario Badescu skin care products is available in the store. The importance of using an eye cream is often overlooked, but the eyes have no oil glands around them, Belanger said.
Three types of eye cream are available in the Mario Badescu line, all between $18 and $20. Applied around the eyes day and night makes a huge difference preventing crow’s feet, said Belanger.
Badescu’s line also offers excellent acne products. One of their best sellers is a drying cream for blemishes, which outperforms all others, she said.
They also offer targeted solutions for people suffering from rosacea. “Rosacea often hurts badly in the cold,” she said. “Mario Badescu makes a Control Cream, which forms a protective barrier between skin and the elements. It eases redness and soreness.”
That cream is $15 for a half ounce, but a more effective product means the customer needs to use much less for each application. Only a very thin layer needs to be used daily, she said. Belanger expects a half-ounce container might last as long as three or four months.
Colorful bars of soap are displayed everywhere. Normally soap has a reputation for drying skin, however these bars are different, said Belanger. Each bar is triple milled, air dried, and vegetable based, and they contain no tallow, rendered fat or lard.
“These soaps are maybe $5 average, but they’ll last several months to a year,” she said. “It won’t melt into a gummy mess in your shower either.”
Fragrance choices are innumerable – ginger, apple-pear, citrus, lavender, and lemongrass for starters. The scent lasts until the last nib of soap is used up, Belanger said. Smaller bars are available for only $1.50.
Shea butter soaps and creams are available at In the Clover, and provide heavy-duty moisture for thirsty skin, she said. Belanger explained shea butter comes from the Karite nut from Africa. Oatmeal is another ingredient added to soaps and lotions to help moisturize and help calm irritated skin.
Dresdener Essence Herbal Baths have been flying off shelves, and are one of her favorite products in the store, according to Belanger. “At just $3.95 per packet for two baths, they treat the skin and offer and aromatherapy and color boost,” she said. “Each one turns the water a different color. Dresdener also makes bath oils to open up breathing, promote sleep, or ease soreness.”
Natural sea sponges with goats milk soap poured over one side do triple duty cleansing, exfoliating and moisturizing, Belanger said. The goat’s milk soap is good for sensitive skin, and the sea sponge lasts long after the soap is gone.
“They offer several scents including cucumber-melon, coconut-mango, and lemongrass,” she said. “These are so fun, I can’t tell you how many we have sold.”
In the Clover offers many choices to help keep extremities warm this winter, from socks and scarves to pajamas. Socks are available in materials other than wool, for people who find it too itchy, said Belanger.
Books are also stashed around the store. She wanted to offer comfort and reassurance to her customers on the cheap side in these troubling times. “You can buy a good book, a good soak, and a scented candle for under $30 here,” Belanger said. “That is much less than you would spend at the spa, and you get more use out of these products.”
In the Clover is holding special Valentine’s Day events by appointment Friday Feb. 13 and Saturday Feb. 14, including half hour facials with the visiting Mario Badescu representative, and seated chair massages.
There is a $10 deposit for the facials, which will be returned in product at the event. Complimentary make-up application, sparkling wine and chocolates will also be available. Belanger recommends getting signed up for this special event early.
Reservations can be made in the store at 85 Main St., by phone at 882-9435 or e-mail, intheclover@roadrunner.com. In the Clover can be found on the world wide web at www.inthecloverbeauty.com.
