A new beauty shop tucked near Victoria's Secret inside Lynnhaven Mall is turning heads in Virginia Beach with a simple pitch: nearly everything costs $1 to $1.88. Miss A opened its doors at the mall last month, marking the first location for the discount beauty and jewelry chain anywhere in Virginia.
The store sells cruelty-free makeup, skincare and jewelry alongside lip gloss, lip liner, mascara, foundation, brushes and other beauty tools, as reported by The Virginian-Pilot. Miss A was founded in Dallas, Texas, in 2013 by husband-and-wife team Kenneth and Jean Baik, and the chain now operates nearly 100 stores across the country, according to the same report. Co-founder Jean Baik told the paper that the brand is centered on having fun, and she said in an email that no other business offers what Miss A offers at its price point.
From Online Side Hustle to Nearly 100 Storefronts
Miss A's low prices trace back to its origins as a scrappy e-commerce operation. The company launched in August 2013 as an online store generating just $8,000 in monthly sales, then opened its first physical storefront at Grapevine Mills in May 2016; by August 2016, monthly online revenue had grown to nearly $1 million, according to Voyage Dallas. Jean Baik studied at Parsons School of Design before moving to Dallas to launch the company, the outlet notes.
That same background explains how Miss A keeps its price tags so low today. The chain designs exclusive products in-house under its own brands, including its AOA Studio label, and contracts directly with overseas factories, cutting out middleman markups and traditional advertising costs, per Voyage Dallas's reporting on the company's business model. Instead, Miss A has leaned on organic word of mouth and social media buzz to find customers, a strategy that fits a broader shift in beauty retail: a 2025 consumer survey by Tinuiti found that 72% of Gen Z beauty shoppers have bought cosmetics directly through platforms like TikTok, Instagram or Facebook, according to Bigeye Agency.
Shoppers Drawn In by Price and a Viral Bestseller
Inside the Lynnhaven location, store associate Terrinique Hepburn said Korean skincare brands, jewelry and makeup are especially popular with customers, and that shoppers appreciate both the prices and the value they receive, the Virginian-Pilot reported. One standout item is the Paw Paw Super Soft Wonder Blender, a Miss A bestseller that also won an Allure magazine Best of Beauty award.
The Paw Paw line carries meaning beyond the makeup bag. A portion of the proceeds from the AOA Studio Paw Paw collection is donated to non-profit animal rescue organizations and shelters that care for abandoned pets and combat animal cruelty, according to Hoodline's prior reporting on the chain's first Washington store.
Shopper Christi Hobaugh visited the new store for the first time on October 9, leaving with jewelry, stickers, accessories and a bath bomb in her basket, per the Virginian-Pilot's account. She said she first discovered Miss A on TikTok and would probably come back. Miss A also sells keychains and other lifestyle items beyond its beauty line, and the Pilot reported that customers can walk out with a lip gloss, rings, a face mask and a gift for a friend for just $10.
A Top Performer Already Eyeing More Virginia Locations
Jean Baik said the Lynnhaven store quickly became one of Miss A's top-performing locations nationwide, according to the Virginian-Pilot. The company's leasing team is now looking at additional sites in the Virginia Beach area, and Miss A has planned upcoming store openings elsewhere in Virginia, the paper reported. Kenneth Baik said in an email that the community response to the store has been amazing, adding that word of mouth from happy customers has helped fuel the chain's growth.
Lynnhaven Mall offers plenty of company for the new arrival. The center recently welcomed Lush Cosmetics, Rowan ear piercing studio and Offline by Aerie activewear, the Pilot noted, joining a lineup that already includes Danish toy giant The Lego Group, which opened its first permanent store in southeastern Virginia at Lynnhaven Mall in April 2026, hiring roughly 20 local employees for its 3,100-square-foot location, according to a report from Elearning.
Why Lynnhaven Mall Made Sense for the Expansion
Opened in August 1981, Lynnhaven Mall spans 1.17 million square feet of leasable space, making it the largest enclosed super-regional shopping center in Hampton Roads, according to Wikipedia. The mall is managed by Brookfield Properties and houses more than 180 specialty stores alongside anchors Dillard's, JCPenney and Macy's, the same entry states.
The location also puts Miss A inside Lynnhaven Mall in Hampton Roads.
For job seekers, the expansion also comes with steady pay. Store manager listings at new Miss A mall locations have offered annual base salaries between $54,000 and $58,000, plus performance bonuses and health benefits, according to Hoodline's earlier coverage of the chain's expansion into Washington state.
