New salon in East Village to provide job training for young women

With the anticipated opening of Amber M Aesthetics, Amber Miller is fulfilling her dream while inspiring others to do the same. The small business owner has partnered with Pacific Gateway Workforce Innovation Network to provide mentoring and job training to young women seeking guidance.

“[Skincare] was something that I connected to and I feel like I can give back in that way,” Miller said.

Miller grew up watching her mother work as a makeup artist and naturally developed an interest in the beauty industry from a young age—specifically in skincare. Miller said she would often get compliments about her skin, with women coming to her for tips on how to take care of their skin.

She decided to turn her passion for skincare into a business, in part to serve as an example for her younger siblings and other youth in her community. 

“What inspired me to start my own business was my family, just being a role model to my siblings, just to show that they can do it as well,” Miller said. “And I wanted to help empower young women, to be a role model to them and just show them a young girl from Long Beach can do it and so can they.”

Miller began a mobile business in 2020 during the pandemic, bringing skincare to customers in the comfort and safety of their homes. After nearly three years, she’s ready to open her first brick-and-mortar location in Long Beach’s East Village Arts District on Jan. 28. 

“I’ve been in Long Beach all my life,” Miller said. “I grew up here. I was born and raised in Long Beach. I watched Long Beach grow. East Village is a beautiful location, the people are beautiful. It’s very diverse. […]  I definitely want to make an empire in the place that I grew up in and give back to my community.”

Amber M Aesthetics will offer waxing, manicures and hydrafacials—a facial using a patented machine that exfoliates and vacuums away dead skin while suffusing the healthy skin with beneficial serums.

Anywhere between four to 10 young women will work at the salon on a rotating basis, as part of Pacific Gateway’s goal of helping youth find a career path. Pacific Gateway is a public agency that connects youth and adults to work opportunities in Long Beach, Signal Hill and other communities near the Los Angeles Harbor area.

The young women assigned to work at Amber M Aesthetics will take turns running the front desk, speaking to customers, using the cash register, taking phone calls and scheduling clients for appointments.

“This will be their first job experience, so they’ll be learning everything on the job,” Miller said.

Besides career training, Miller said she tries to provide emotional support for her mentees as well by talking to them about their grades, families and daily lives.

“I always want to make sure their mental health is really good because I remember being that age,” Miller said. “You always just want to speak to someone that you can feel is relatable a little bit, but that you also see as trustworthy and successful in some ways.”

Amber M Aesthetics will have its grand opening on Saturday, Jan. 28 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., at 509 E Broadway. Amber M Aesthetics will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays.