Amazing Lash Studio will expand to Sioux Falls

A fast-growing national business specializing in eyelash extensions is coming to Sioux Falls. Arizona-based Amazing Lash Studio is being franchised locally by the mother-daughter team of Lisa Wichman and April Buysse. Buysse, a Sioux Falls native and SDSU graduate who lives in the Twin Cities, discovered the lash studio in Minnesota

fast-growing national business specializing in eyelash extensions is coming to Sioux Falls.

Arizona-based Amazing Lash Studio is being franchised locally by the mother-daughter team of Lisa Wichman and April Buysse.

Buysse, a Sioux Falls native and SDSU graduate who lives in the Twin Cities, discovered the lash studio in Minnesota.

“I had my lashes done and just fell in love with the experience,” she said. “I felt better. I looked better. It saved me so much time in the morning, and I have three little boys, so anything that gets me ready faster and looking better I’m sold right away.”

They plan to open at The Galleria, a two-story building under construction at 69th Street and Western Avenue.

“We’ve been in Sioux Falls nearly 20 years, so we know it really well and there are lots of good opportunities, so it was hard to choose,” Wichman said. “But we picked 69th Street and Western for the great exposure, it’s a growing part of Sioux Falls, and it aligns with the Amazing Lash Studio design, which is classy and fun, comfortable and inviting.”

They also like sharing the building with future upstairs neighbors Goosmann Law Firm, ART Vision and ARTisan Skin and Laser Center.

“We like the idea of sharing retail space with such experienced, successful businesswomen,” Wichman said.

Amazing Lash Studio will join Tavern 180, a Nebraska-based gastropub, on the first floor.

“We’re so excited to welcome Amazing Lash Studio to The Galleria. It’s a wonderful complement to the retail and services in the building and will be so convenient for their clients,” said Raquel Blount of Lloyd Cos., who leased the space and represents The Galleria. “It’s a great addition for the neighborhood and shows the continued demand for space at The Galleria, which is nearly full.”

With more than 200 studios in 23 states, Amazing Lash Studio ranked No. 71 for growth this year on Entrepreneur magazine’s fastest-growing franchises list. Its private lash applicate suites offer semi-permanent eyelash extensions, with a proprietary, patented process, to the clients’ own lashes, replicating the curve and size of natural lashes.

The studios also recently added new retail products and services, including eyelash adhesives, Lash Lift and Featherweight Lashes.

“It’s a high level of quality at an affordable price,” Buysse said. “It’s a spa-like environment where guests can feel beautiful and rejuvenated when they leave, and the highly trained staff we require sets us apart.”

They plan to hire about two dozen people, most of them lash stylists who must be licensed cosmetologists or estheticians and then be trained by Amazing Lash Studio. There also will be a manager and lash consultants who will do scheduling and help educate customers as they choose a style.

The business uses a membership model but also offers standalone services. Most customers come in every two to four weeks.

“I had mine done in Phoenix, and being older, it gives me a more youthful look,” Wichman said. “It’s easy to get ready and go out and feel like you are put together.”

The business plans to open in midsummer and start hiring later this spring.

“We have great potential for employees with upward earning and career paths,” Buysse said. “Any lash stylist can go through a master stylist program and be promoted with the right skill set. There’s definitely room for growth.”