GRAND FORKS — Chapter Aesthetic Studio held the grand opening for its new Grand Forks location at 3300 32nd Ave. S. Thursday, April 7, amid plans to expand nationally.
The studio provides comprehensive, non-surgical cosmetic care including chemical peels, body sculpting, laser services and Botox injections, and more.
Its president and founder Melissa Rogne entered the industry as the first licensed aesthetician in North Dakota in 2000.
“My background before that was in mental health, and my goal really was for this to be something fun that I did on the weekend,” Rogne said. “I didn't really anticipate that the skin care industry could be a career, but about four to five years after I received my aesthetics license, I opened Rejuv Medical Aesthetic Clinic in Fargo, and I was very fortunate that we became extremely successful by hiring an amazing team and just really prioritizing the needs of our guests.”
Rejuv’s location in Fargo grew from three employees in a 1,500-square-foot space to more than 50 employees in an 11,000-square-foot space by 2020. It was then Rogne was approached by The Aspen Group about a partnership. The group spawned from the success of Aspen Dental and now has WellNow Urgent Care and ClearChoice Dental Implant Centers under its umbrella, with Chapter Aesthetic Studio being its newest addition.
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“After meeting with their CEO and founder (Robert A. Fontana), I quickly realized that they are an entrepreneurial organization that really focuses on bringing better health care to more people,” Rogne said.
In September 2020, Rejuv became Chapter Aesthetic Studio, and the expansion process began. Its third studio in Rochester, Minnesota opened just a few weeks ago, and another location is in Hartford, New York.
Rogne said the company entered 2022 with two locations and, if all goes according to plan, it will end the year with 13. Sioux City, Iowa, is next with Buffalo, New York coming in July. Other locations already planned include Eagan, Minnesota, Eden Prairie, Minnesota, Des Moines, Iowa, Orchard Park, New York, and Tonawanda, New York.
Chapter Aesthetic Studio acquired the space for the Grand Forks location from the Sleep Number store next door. Now, it is the largest clinic of the four current locations.
“The average (Chapter Aesthetic Studio) clinic is only about 1,500 square feet and four treatment rooms,” Rogne said. “So we are about three to four times the size of an average non-surgical aesthetic clinic.”
Rogne said “everything came down” when they acquired the space nine months ago. The entire space was gutted and rebuilt to fit the studio’s needs. The location is also what Rogne considers its ideal location.
“From the time that we decided Grand Forks was the perfect location, we identified this real estate opportunity as a prime location,” Rogne said. “Obviously Chick-fil-A draws a little bit of traffic. If it's anything like Fargo, there's a line at the drive-thru constantly, and we really pride ourselves on having very convenient, easy and accessible locations for our guests.”
Rogne said she hopes people will come in for a visit even if they are nervous about consultations or procedures.
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“What I've heard through the years is our industry can be a little intimidating,” Rogne said. “People really aren't sure what to expect, and our goal and the design of the facility is all aimed around making people feel comfortable. People call our team disarming (and) they don't expect us to be quite as friendly and welcoming as we are.”
