The counterintuitive strategy that took one beauty brand from trunk shows to 20 retail stores
Most founders would see two years of in-person trunk shows as a grind to endure. Kim Roxie saw it as a research project. In the end, it was a move that delivered a 928% sales increase when her products finally hit retail shelves.
In 2018, Kim made a bold decision: She closed her successful 14-year brick-and-mortar makeup store in Houston's wealthiest neighborhood to launch LAMIK Beauty as a tech-enabled direct-to-consumer brand. Then she spent two years personally working at JCPenney locations across the country, which she felt was the smartest way to prove her brand belonged there.
That grassroots strategy paid off. This past March, LAMIK launched in 20 stores across Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana.
LAMIK Beauty is a clean, vegan makeup brand made in the US, designed to show up on every skin tone. But Kim's real differentiator is the blueprint she's built for independent brands to break into major retail without massive capital.
In this episode of Beyond the Register, we break down the three strategic approaches Kim used to turn grassroots hustle into sustainable retail success.
How can pop-up shops and trunk shows generate valuable customer data — not just sales?
Kim didn't view trunk shows as a temporary sales tactic. She saw them as a two-year research project.
"I went store to store," Kim explains. "And I really just showed the difference that I would make if I was actually in store and how it would benefit the whole department."
During those trunk shows, Kim collected critical data: which colors sold in different regions, what times of day drove the most traffic and how customers reacted to products in real time. She also proved something invaluable to buyers: Her presence brought customers into the store who then purchased other products in the beauty department, not just LAMIK.
"We believe in high touch," Kim says. "We love to meet our customers, love to educate them. We educate the teams."
That high-touch approach created conversion rates that online channels couldn't match. While LAMIK's website converts at 2% – 3%, their live shopping shows — where customers can interact directly with the brand — convert at 30%.
The lesson? Trunk shows can help with moving product, but they're also about proving your value to the entire retail ecosystem.
How do you scale personalized customer experiences without losing the human touch?
Kim launched LAMIK in March 2020 — right as the pandemic shut down in-person retail. But she'd already built the digital infrastructure to survive.
Before COVID, Kim had joined tech accelerators in Austin, where she developed virtual try-on technology, custom foundation matching tools and digital quizzes to help customers find the right products. When South by Southwest got canceled and in-person launches became impossible, she pivoted to live shopping shows on Facebook.
"I was thinking I was going to launch in person," Kim remembers. "Well, when all that got canceled, we launched everything online and I started doing this live shopping show on Facebook. And that's how I launched LAMIK."
Today, every LAMIK package includes a QR code linking to how-to videos. Customers can scan the code right in the store to see exactly how to apply the product. The brand also offers custom blend foundation: Customers upload a photo and receive a foundation matched to their exact skin tone.
"Most of our customers feel the same way," Kim notes. "They're like, 'I don't know much about makeup. I just know that I want it to enhance me, but I don't even know how to put it on.'"
The lesson: Technology shouldn't replace human connection, but rather make that connection accessible to everyone, everywhere.
How do you build an omnichannel sales strategy where every channel has a clear purpose?
Kim doesn't believe in putting all her eggs in one basket. LAMIK sells through major retailers like JCPenney, Nordstrom and Ulta, operates a brick-and-mortar studio in Tulsa, runs a subscription membership called LAMIK Society, hosts live shopping events and maintains a direct-to-consumer website.
But each channel serves a specific strategic purpose beyond just revenue.
"I look at them as buckets," Kim explains. "I look at them as different streams of income. There's omnichannel streams that come in and flow right into the business."
Major retailers provide distribution and marketing reach — millions of people see the LAMIK logo in stores. The LAMIK Society membership creates a community of dedicated customers who serve as a panel for feedback and product testing. Live shopping events allow for exclusive product drops and higher conversion rates. The brick-and-mortar studio functions as a content creation space where real human interactions can be captured and shared on social media.
"We are in such an AI world that if you don't see the real human, you forget that it's real," Kim says.
The lesson: Build multiple revenue streams, but make sure each one serves a strategic purpose beyond just generating sales.
How do independent brands build retail buyer relationships in a contracting market?
Kim is candid about the challenges independent beauty brands face. Despite McKinsey research showing $2 billion in untapped market opportunity for products serving women of color, the industry has actually regressed on representation over the past year and a half.
"It was getting better for a second, especially post-2020," Kim says. "But within the last year and a half or so it's gotten worse."
Rising tariff costs, increased fuel prices, and the elimination of programs supporting disadvantaged businesses have forced several of Kim's founder friends out of business entirely.
So how did Kim break through? Relationship building.
She researched buyers on LinkedIn and social media, engaged with their content, attended their webinars and found ways to add value before ever asking for shelf space. She used her expertise as a makeup artist and esthetician to offer education and support. She even brought models to work with JCPenney teams to demonstrate her products.
"Relationship building is really important," Kim emphasizes. "Adding value — maybe you add value before you even ask to be in store."
What packaging mistakes cost product-based businesses the most money?
When asked about her most expensive mistake, Kim doesn't hesitate: packaging barcodes.
"I didn't realize that I did not have to get the barcode printed on every package," she explains. "I could actually use a label on it."
In makeup, one product can have 25 different SKUs for different shades. When barcodes are printed directly on packaging and one shade sells more than others, you're stuck with expensive inventory you can't repurpose.
"Those are the kind of things, the meticulous little things in our industry, that cost you so much money," Kim says.
The lesson she learned: Sometimes the "efficient" choice upfront creates expensive problems down the line.
How do you identify the right retail partners for your brand?
At its core, LAMIK stands for "Love And Makeup In Kindness." The brand's motto is "beauty is revealed, not applied."
"We believe that love and kindness is your true makeup," Kim says. "LAMIK is an affirmation. It affirms you, but then it also reveals you."
That philosophy extends to how Kim approaches business growth. Rather than chasing partnerships with the "popular kids" of retail, she focuses on partners who are genuinely open to what she offers.
"Sometimes we try to go with partners who everybody else wants — the shiny thing," Kim reflects. "I think when I made the decision to really go places where I see opportunity, or places where they see the opportunity in me, that's when things changed."
For independent brands trying to break into retail, Kim's journey offers a clear blueprint: Start grassroots, prove your value with data, build genuine relationships, leverage technology to scale human connection and diversify strategically. Most importantly, go where you're wanted — not where you think you should be.