Go Natural

Living in downtown Bristol, I had watched with excitement as the empty storefront at the corner of Hope and Bradford showed new life. Signs in the windows indicated that it was to be a “natural eco-chic beauty” boutique called Zenabelle, which only piqued my interest further. Ever since I entered my 30s, I have become more aware of ingredients in the things I put on, in, and around my body; I’ve found it difficult, however, to locate a one-stop shop for all my natural beauty product needs. Incidentally, that’s exactly the dilemma that led fellow Bristol resident Deborah Ventrice to open the store.

While my interest in product ingredients stems solely from my desire to be closer to nature with the goods I use and consume, for Deborah it was her lifelong sensitivity to chemicals. Once the owner of her own interior design consulting business in the East Bay, she would turn her kitchen into a veritable lab on the weekends, concocting products from ingredients that wouldn’t irritate her skin. That proved to be time-consuming and ultimately, only beneficial to herself. Deborah was passionate about widening the availability of safe, non-toxic beauty products: “I wanted to open a place for people to find products that are good and healthy and pure,” she says.

Nestled among the shops, restaurants, salons and studios on Hope Street, Zenabelle boasts a fresh, modern interior, but still fits in nicely among the town’s historic architecture. Deborah has a degree in Interior Design and Historic Preservation from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, and just as she and her husband fell in love with Bristol as a place to live after leaving Manhattan, she was drawn to the town’s support for small, local businesses when choosing her boutique’s location. Zenabelle has a welcoming environment much like Bristol itself, which is very important to Deborah. “When people come to shop, I want them to enjoy themselves,” she says.

There’s a sample bar for that very reason, so customers can “try any of the products – touch, feel, smell, see exactly what they do.” Deborah and her staff are extremely knowledgeable about all the products sold, including makeup, skin care, body care, hair care, baby care – and even products for men. As consumers, it’s not often that we are privy to the inspiration behind the brands we use, but since Deborah personally researched each product line she carries, she can tell you the detailed back-stories of most of the brands. “Many of our brands are small, women-owned businesses that just care deeply about creating safe, gentle products,” she says.

Beyond its product offerings, Zenabelle provides makeup application services for wedding or other special events. On a philanthropic level, Deborah and her team give complimentary “Meaningful Makeovers” to breast cancer patients at local centers on a regular basis. As for the name Zenabelle, it’s what came to Deborah when she was trying to put the concept of her boutique into words: “It’s all about Zen-ful beauty, and Zenabelle just captured that perfectly.” Indeed, it does.