Business Buzz
Nurses and business partners Erica Hammel and Erica Mendez have moved Lips and Drips by the Beach into a larger space on Ventnor Avenue, expanding the aesthetics and wellness business they brought to the city two years ago.
The approximately 1,500-square-foot facility at 7903 Ventnor Ave. opened in September. It features four treatment rooms, a lobby with product displays and a coastal-inspired interior designed to provide a comfortable setting for patients.
The partners will introduce the space to the community during Glow After Dark, scheduled for 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29. Visitors can tour the facility, meet the team and learn about its services. The event will include giveaways and prizes.
The opening marks another step for the business, which began in Philadelphia in March 2022 at 2342 S. Broad St. Hammel and Mendez opened their first Margate location on South Granville Avenue in August 2024 before moving to accommodate a growing clientele.
For the partners, both mothers of three, the expansion follows years of balancing nursing careers, family responsibilities and business ownership.
Different paths to a partnership
Hammel, a Washington Township High School graduate, earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. She spent nearly 10 years as a neonatal intensive care nurse at the University of Pennsylvania before entering aesthetics.
That work helped shape her approach to patient care, with an emphasis on safety, precision and attention to detail. She and her husband, Dean, have three children.
Mendez grew up in Philadelphia’s Juniata neighborhood and initially pursued music. She attended the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts, studying classical music as a vocal major, and later studied music with a concentration in classical performance at East Stroudsburg University.
She performed as a vocalist before changing careers. In 2021, she earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from West Chester University and began working as a medical-surgical nurse, also gaining intensive care experience.
Aesthetic medicine offered Mendez an opportunity to combine her clinical training with her creative interests.
The partnership began when Mendez, who had experience as an aesthetic injector, met Hammel, who was interested in cosmetic treatments. They recognized that their skills complemented each other and decided to open a business.
The name reflects its two main service areas: “Lips” refers to cosmetic injectables, while “Drips” refers to IV hydration and wellness services.
Finding a home at the Shore
Margate was a familiar destination for Hammel, who had family connections to the city and visited the Shore during childhood.
When the partners considered expanding beyond Philadelphia, Hammel toured several properties before finding the South Granville Avenue location. The space gave them an opportunity to establish the business in a community she already knew.
As their client base grew, the partners began looking for more room. The Ventnor Avenue property offered space for additional treatments and future growth.
The owners designed the new location to feel welcoming while providing separate rooms for patient care. Its coastal decor reflects the Shore setting, while the larger layout supports the business’s expanding services.
A focus on individualized care
Lips and Drips offers Botox, dermal fillers, microneedling, facials, skin care services, IV hydration and other wellness treatments. Lip enhancement is among its most requested services, according to the owners.
Hammel and Mendez say their approach emphasizes natural-looking results and treatment plans tailored to each patient. They also emphasize continuing education and advanced training as part of their practice.
Their stated goal is to help patients feel comfortable discussing their concerns and choosing treatments that suit their needs.
The partners credit patient referrals, feedback and community support with helping the business grow. They also see relationships with neighboring businesses as an important part of maintaining their place in Margate.
Both say family remains central to their lives as they manage two locations. Their shared experience as working mothers has shaped the partnership and their approach to building the business.
The Oct. 29 event will give them an opportunity to thank patients and introduce the new location to residents and nearby business owners.
For Margate, the move represents another investment along Ventnor Avenue’s commercial corridor. For Hammel and Mendez, it provides room to continue developing a business built around their nursing backgrounds and shared interest in aesthetics.
Lips and Drips by the Beach is at 7903 Ventnor Ave., Margate. Its Philadelphia location is at 2342 S. Broad St. For information, visit lipsanddripsllc.com or Instagram @lipsanddripsllc.
Rich Baehrle has worked in commercial and residential real estate for 44 years. He works with his wife, Michelle, and son, Bryan, at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach in Northfield. Contact him at 609-226-6680 or richardbaehrle@gmail.com.
