Sisters Turn a Bat Mitzvah Makeup Problem Into 7-Figure Franchise

Blushington, the hair, makeup and skincare lounge founded by sisters Stephi Cohen and Nicki Maron, reports a seven-figure run rate — 15 years after a family bat mitzvah exposed a gap in the beauty market. The Los Angeles company now runs one corporate location in New York City and two franchise locations in Boca Raton and Houston, built on a model that nearly died when the pandemic forced it to close every door.

How did a bat mitzvah spark a business?

Fifteen years ago, the sisters were preparing for their younger sister's bat mitzvah. Their house was packed with family, and they couldn't afford to bring a makeup artist and hairstylist to serve everyone. "We started to think, well, you can go to Drybar and get your hair done," Cohen told Entrepreneur. "But where can we go to get our makeup done?"

That question became Blushington. Cohen was 21 when she founded it; Maron was 23 and helped behind the scenes while working as Bill Lawrence's assistant on Cougar Town. "Eventually, I realized I was probably spending more time working with her than working for Bill, and that wasn't right," Maron said. "I needed to make the jump."

What's behind the name and the store design?

Cohen had just returned from studying abroad in London. She liked names like Lexington and Kensington, combined "blush" with that ending, and got the trademark. "Almost everybody in the family disliked it at first," Cohen said. Maron admitted she was one of them: "If it had been up to me, we probably wouldn't have gone with Blushington, and that would have been a mistake."

The stores were modeled after their mom's vanity. "We say that walking into Blushington should feel like a warm hug," Maron said. The sisters wanted the opposite of the Pretty Woman boutique scene they'd watched as kids — a place where multiple generations felt heard.

How did the first location get funded?

Cohen found a "For Lease" sign on Sunset, near a Drybar, and called. A board and a few investors funded the buildout. The pitch was simple: investors could already see demand for blowout bars, and Blushington offered the same opportunity for makeup. When the doors opened in 2011, Drybar sat next door, and its customers walked over for makeup afterward. Maron still hands out cards on the street personally.

On products, the sisters pushed back against brands demanding full-line commitments or minimum orders. "We weren't going to buy an entire product line just to carry a brand, and we still don't," Cohen said.

Why did the pandemic force a rebuild?

The timeline was brutal. "We signed a flagship space in New York City on March 11. On March 13, we closed our doors," Maron said. "It was one of the worst days of our lives." They shut every location and let the team go, then debated whether to continue at all. They chose franchising.

During the pandemic, they built an online Blushington Academy, certifying artists across more than 40 states, with more than 250 artists now in the portal. "Someone who lives in another city knows that community better than we do," Maron said.

What are franchisees actually buying?

Both current franchisees started as customers. Karen, the first, had visited the Dallas and New York locations; Courtney in Houston had emailed about franchising since 2015. The investment covers buildout, inventory and product selection, with incentives for veterans and multi-unit owners.

The model leans on bundled demand: Blushington sees close to two services per appointment. "You can get hair and makeup done under one roof for less than $200," Maron said — pricing designed to make beauty an everyday habit rather than a special-occasion splurge. The next test is whether that formula, proven in Boca Raton and Houston, scales to franchisees nationwide.