Avon Adds New Retail Store

Avon Products began in California 120 years ago selling perfume door to door.  Now, it's a worldwide direct marketer with millions of so-called Avon Ladies mostly selling products directly to customers.  Tulsa has its first licensed Avon retail store, and The News On 6's Rick Wells reports there are even Avon products for men in there.

It used to be in order to buy Avon products; you selected your items from a catalog and gave your order to the Avon Lady.  You can still do that, but now the company is adding free-standing retail stores.

"It's a new concept for Avon," said Barbara Harrison.

Barbara Harrison has the first licensed Avon Beauty Center in Tulsa one of only five in the state.  While Harrison was talking with The News On 6, Shari Rumsey an Avon Lady from north of Skiatook came in hoping to borrow some catalogs for her own door to door campaign.

They agreed having the store can give customers a chance to try stuff out.

"That's the real beauty of having a store is the ability to get to know the products before they take them home," said Barbara Harrison.

Avon company statistics show that opening a retail store in a community tends to increase sales even for the direct marketers.

The Avon Beauty Center is in the Highland Plaza Shopping Center at 41st and Hudson.  Saturday is the grand opening.