Sister owned Skin Deep ends four decade run in June
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The owners of Skin Deep, a go-to boutique for gifts, specialized skincare, spa and salon treatments for the past 42 years, is closing up shop.
Owner, Tina Hasche, and her sister and co-owner, Nina Meyer, opened the boutique in 1980. The two said they knew nothing about running a business at the time, but were buoyed by their mother. Together, they felt that it was "recession proof."
They were right. The popular shop survived a myriad of community challenges including the recession of 2008, multiple major wildfires, the Montecito debris flow and, the COVID-19 pandemic.
"About two or three months ago Tina said to me, 'Nina, this is the hardest thing we will ever do for our business,'" said Meyer. "And personally," said Hasche.
The sisters call this turning point and talk of retirement, "surreal." Tina said it hasn't quite hit home yet.
"When we put the announcement out to our customers last week, it was very emotional," said Meyer. "We had hundreds of people come in who were very sad and very concerned and yet, very happy for us because they know that at a certain point in life and at a certain age, it's time to go on to the next chapter. But it has been very emotional and we love our business and it's been a part of our lives for over 42 years."
"And, our customers lives," said Hasche. "We want to let it go to someone who will take it to the next level."
Both give tremendous credit to their sister, Gina. She was responsible for running their shop in San Luis Obispo years ago, for nearly a decade, and single-handedly ran the shop's website, marketing and social media.
"I'm emotional because this is where I've come for the last 40 years and it's great and I'll miss it," said Paula, a longtime customer.
Meyer touts the shop's skincare lines as, "some of the finest in the world."
"People love coming to Skin Deep because they know we will give them the product knowledge that they need to solve their problems, to improve whatever concerns they have."
Their spa and facial services, which closed during the pandemic, were voted The Best of Santa Barbara for 25 years.
"We hope to find a new owner who will take over the business in our beautiful business model and reopen the salon."
"We are family here. And we treat our staff that way. And our customer service reflects that," said Meyer. "People realize that it's a very tight knit family operation."
Meyer said the lease is up in May; they plan to close the shop by the end of June.
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