A visit to Cheeky City, Springfield’s newest haven for all things girly
Today I was running errands in Holyoke and remembered that Cheeky City, a new beauty retailer (the brainchild of Leanne from SkinCatering, who you may remember from my interview on spray tanning), was opening in downtown Springfield. So naturally, I just had to check it out. Intrepid beautyphile that I am, I managed to walk through the doors shortly after they opened on their first day, making me their very 1st customer!
Strawberry white chocolate popcorn and bath bombs shaped like cupcakes? Yes pls.
Leanne described her motivation for opening the store as “a creative outlet for all things girly that I love (and also to create jobs).” She hired a staff of four to handle sales and inventory while she divides her time between the shop and her nearby spa.
Speaking of the inventory, let’s take a tour, shall we?
Vintage & upcycled vanities provide a pretty platform for the shop’s wares.
The shop offers a revolving, curated inventory of beauty-related goods from various indie brands, many of them local to Western MA. Products include makeup, skin & hair care, body butters, bath powders, bath bombs, soaps, and other gifts that celebrate all things femme.
Cheeky City stocks an extensive assortment of makeup brushes (and cleanser, of course!)
Stock will always be changing (think Trader Joe’s!) although Leanne says there are staples that she plans to stock indefinitely. Current brands include:
- LTW Cosmetics
- SkinCatering skin care
- Sarah Lynn Couture (who supply “cheeky” undergarments, oh my!)
- The Sud Shoppe
- Pink Parchment Soaps
- Wicked Good Treats by Elaine (that pink popcorn you saw in the first photo? That’s hers!)
- Mikey & Momo, Aromaflage
A selection of SkinCatering’s skin & hair care offerings.
The Cheeky ladies take baths seriously – they even created a bathtub installation (complete with mood lighting by CJC Event Lighting) that acts as both a product showcase and a selfie station. For $2, you can climb into the glittery clawfoot tub, strike a pose, and “Get Cheeky for Charity” (the shop will be donating proceeds to a different charity every month).
Bath caddy. Genius!
The shop also offers an extensive bath salt bar, with bags or jars to take your custom creations home with you. (I could see this making a fun wedding favor, gift for bridesmaids, wedding shower gift, and/or a bachelorette party outing where everyone gets to mix their own.)
You may never bathe in plain ol’ water again.
Cheeky City is located at 1341 Main Street in the Shops at Marketplace, which are lined up along the rear of the building, right next to the Mass Mutual Center. (Boasting a small assortment of indie businesses, it’s an ideal lunch break spot for those of you who work downtown!) Current hours are Tues-Fri, 11am-6pm, with potential weekend hours coming in the future. A Grand Opening event (complete with mimosas and a ribbon cutting by the mayor) is currently scheduled for March 11th at 10am, so watch the Facebook page for confirmation and details. And if you’re an indie cosmetic, skincare, or related gift maker who is interested in retailing your products, contact the shop by email.
