New Business Week: Skin By Abie

Q&A with the Business Owner

What’s your full name?

My name is Abie Piller

When did you open your business?

We actually started our business in the basement of my house, so in 2017. But we opened our doors here on April 24th, 2023. So, this week is our first anniversarty and we’re expanding! Right next door, we bought the place a while ago, and we’re buidling an additional four rooms. We’ll be introducing an IV drip beauty treatment which is very popular within the Filippino community. We’ll celebrate our anniversary and launch the new new space at the same time, very soon.

What inspired your business idea?

When I was in the Philippines every time I had a facial, I felt very beautiful after the treatment. So, it started with self-care and then skin care for others. I had some training in the Philippines. I went to school there, and then when I moved to Canada years later, I did an additional 8-months training, took a written exam and did a three-year apprenticeship and became licensed.

The entire time, I thought about building my own business, being in control of my own schedule. Now, my kids are grown up already so it was time. I’ve always had clients, of course, so in 2017, I started in my basement. After the pandemic, one of my nieces told me she wants to do facials too. So, I thought “we need at least two rooms, okay?” And then another niece approached me to do facials as well. Okay, so that’s why we needed to get a bigger space.

What do you think makes your business different?

We are not a relaxation spa. We don’t offer relaxing facials, we offer more. Results are what we focused on. So, when you come here, don’t expect to fall sleep during your treatment.

Because I’m thinking that this is what I’m doing for the next 15 to 20 years, I am investing in the best equipment. I have an LED light therapy which when you look on Amazon, it’s like $300, but yeah, my LED light therapy is like $10,000, so that’s the difference.

Another thing about our treatments is that, since most of my clients are Filipino, our treatments are very effective on melanated skin.

What’s your message to your current and future customers?

Things are happening. It’s all falling into place. People usually seek us out because they are looking for a medical approach to beauty. They’re looking for IV drips, for laser treatments, the latest technology, etc. We have to be thorough in our treatment and it should be a reasonable, I mean, in terms of pricing.

Our clients will always receive all the best in all the treatments. We like offering something of value. It’s very hard, nowadays, to earn money but these clients keep coming here. Yeah, they’re thinking, with this $100, I’m gonna go grocery shopping or I can have a facial. So, we want that when clients come here instead of doing something else, we want to give everything to them – the best value for their money.

Giveaway Contest

Enter the contest for a chance to win one of THREE prizes.  Visit any of the participating businesses and submit your entry. Each participating business has a draw box where you can enter your name for a chance to win! No purchase is necessary; for full contest details, please click here. 

Participating Businesses

• Mofe International at 569 Ellice Ave (Open Monday to Saturday) 
• Wolseley Eyecare at 986B Portage Avenue (Open Tuesday to Saturday) 
• Som Legacy at 726 Sargent Avenue (Open Tuesday to Sunday)
• Miss Luxe Hair & Beauty at 466 Sherbrook St (Open Monday to Saturday) 

Age requirement: you have to be 18 or older to participate.

Contest running period: The contest will run from April 22nd to 30th. You can visit the participating businesses anytime between these dates. The operating hours will vary for each business, so plan accordingly.

Winner Announcement: The winners will be announced on April 30th and contacted through the provided phone number and/or email address on the card.