Fresh opens beauty store in Pasadena

At the new Fresh beauty store in Pasadena, shoppers can get cozy around the Kitchen Table and play with the new offerings, stop by the Sensorial Bar to layer on some of the archival fragrances, and leave notes and suggestions on a board at the Love Bar.

“We want people to come in, sit down and take a load off,” said Fresh founder Alina Roytberg of the latest store, which officially opened in early December.

The 550-square-foot store joins Fresh Beauty emporiums in Century City and the Grove and is the brand’s 12th store in North America.

The brand, which was founded in Boston in 1991, was a pioneer in the field of apothecary-inspired artisinal beauty lines, and now offers hair, skin and body care as well as fragrances and makeup. Roytberg said the neighborhood is a good fit for Fresh’s homegrown aesthetic.

“It has a wonderful old town feel but there is still sophisticated shopping,” said Roytberg.

The interior and amenities of the store mirror its flagship at Union Square in New York, with five specific “destinations” within. One of the most popular features of the stores are the Kitchen Tables -- in this case a giant table made of reclaimed wood.

“It’s parallel to the feeling you get when you come to someone’s home and they’re in the kitchen preparing something and you sit and talk,” said Roytberg. “At Fresh, that’s the place we see what’s important to the brand at that time, what’s fresh and seasonal. It’s the focus of every store.” Shoppers will also be able to buy in bulk Fresh scents that are no longer in production, experiment with the brand’s signature Sugar Lip Polish and have their purchases artfully wrapped in the trademark sky blue packaging.

Fresh, 40 W. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena; Open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday; phone (626) 564-2648.