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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Solidifying her position as a rising star in the city's business community, Yellowknife entrepreneur Sasha Jason has purchased Merle Norman Cosmetics and Spa.

Kimberly Staples-Lakhani, left, has sold Merle Norman Cosmetics and Spa to entrepreneur Sasha Jason, 28. - Thandiwe Vela/NNSL photo

The sale of the Centre Square Mall make-up shop and spa was finalized last Wednesday, and is the first independent business acquisition for Jason--whose family has owned Yellowknife's Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) franchise for several years.

"Sasha is a typical born entrepreneur," said Kimberly Staples-Lakhani, who owned the Merle Norman franchise for the past 15 years. "She's a born and brought up young lady here and she's come from a hard-working family business since a young child age. So she has a very good work ethic and she's very pro-customer service."

While her mother, Gabi, was grooming the past St. Patrick's High School valedictorian, the eldest of three children, to one day run the family's fast food restaurant, Jason had other plans.

"I wanted to do something different from fried chicken," she said. "Something a little more feminine."

Jason's mother said she knew she was going to be in business, of some sort.

"I think this is probably more preferable for Sasha. She always liked pretty clothes and the make-up aspect of life," Gabi said. "She wanted it and she went full force ahead and she certainly achieved her goal, so I'm extremely proud."

Jason, who worked at Merle Norman as a young teenager and, until recently, as general manager of KFC, described the purchase of the business as a "necessary next step."

"You need to continue to grow to be happy," Jason said. "I feel like when you sit idle you waste your energy, you waste your spirit."

The 28-year-old counts herself fortunate for having had "wonderful female role models in business," including her mother.

"She has run the KFC for 15 to 20 years on her own and just seeing that and knowing that there's a place for women in business, it's a great thing," Jason said.

Jason plans to grow Merle Norman's customer base, staff, and services offered, and eventually expand its space, she said.

"I absolutely have a vision to grow this company but to maintain the impeccable standards that Kim has managed to establish here," she said. "That's one of my favourite things about this place."

Staples-Lakhani, who started Merle Norman from a small perfume kiosk in the Mall in 1996, plans to stay in Yellowknife and commit to her financial consulting company, PanArctic Consulting, full time, advising small and large businesses and aboriginal organizations in the NWT and Nunavut.

She said she will miss many things about running the business, including working with the employees, and the day-to-day interaction with customers, but added the change in ownership is a good thing.

"It's good, it's healthy," she said. "Change is always great."

Jason fully takes over the franchise next week following an eight-day owners course at Merle Norman headquarters in Los Angeles.

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