Originally published by BIZ SPOTLIGHT on January 19th, 2023.
Since she learned about supplier opportunities for Super Bowl LVII in Arizona, Alex Bradberry, the founder of The Sparkle Bar, has been preparing for an influx of business in 2023.
This year's Super Bowl will be the first that Scottsdale-based The Sparkle Bar, an inclusive makeup artistry studio, will be part of by providing full makeup services for a variety of game-related events, activations, photo shoots and more.
The Sparkle Bar is one of more than 200 small and minority-owned businesses that were selected to be part of the NFL's Business Connect program, which aims to diversify contracts with suppliers and provide networking opportunities for local companies.
"I'm super proud to be growing this business and have the opportunity to collaborate and work alongside programs like the Business Connect for Super Bowl, which allow us to do what we normally to, which is more traditionalized beauty makeup, getting ready for things, but also add to activations and do events and create experiences," Bradberry told the Business Journal.
Located in the Old Town Scottsdale area, the company started in 2015 after the owners spearheaded a bill that changed Arizona law so that makeup artists were no longer required to be licensed cosmetologists and aestheticians. This helped pave the way for other artists to offer services outside of a department or makeup store setting.
They opened a full-service makeup studio that focused on applying makeup instead of selling it, said Bradberry, adding that there wasn't a studio that celebrated diversity through makeup without pressuring customers to buy product.
"This space was really created to celebrate the diversity and beauty and be accessible for all, to be reminded that they are perfect as they are," she said. "It's not about selling anything, it's all about an experience and enhancing your already beautiful features."
The Sparkle Bar is a team of about 16 people, including in-studio artists and an activation team, which goes to events to add embellishments or different colors on attendees' faces, among other services. The studio serves about 200 clients monthly on average depending on the time of year.
So far, Bradberry said they have been contracted to help with makeup services for a photoshoot of Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee members, but she expects more opportunities in the near future.
"We fully anticipate that very soon we're going to start to see these add ons, enhancements, experiential pieces that we bring added to the mix," she said. "I'm super excited about what that will look like and hoping that we have the opportunity to work with awesome companies, people and brands."
Bradberry said The Sparkle Bar might be contracted to be at a host hotel for touch ups for families or spouses of NFL players, for example, or at one of the Super Bowl parties where her artists can add team colors and rhinestones to people's faces so they're encouraged to take photos, selfies and post online.
"Before they go take that photo in the photo booth, they'll have a little sparkle or something that says ... 'I had an experience while I was at this event,'" she said. "We do events like Magic in Las Vegas, for example, where we're part of the ambiance but create an experience."
Bradberry is hoping that the increase exposure will also help the business recover from the adverse impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, which forced them to shut down their storefront for about six months and pivot to virtual services.
"We absolutely have continued growth plans, we'll be launching product and an educational component to our business very soon, so I'm really excited about the momentum this is building," she said. "We're building back up to our full team, but I'm very encouraged by where we're at and the growth we've experienced and the way we've been able to pivot and shift and adapt."
