Tricia Lee has been that girl. Long before she wowed Netflix audiences with her enviable style, likable personality and keen business savvy on the hit show Owning Manhattan, which was just renewed for a second season, she was giving her grade school classmates makeovers in the bathroom. As she was growing, so was her entrepreneurial spirit. “In college I did makeup for other students before parties in my dorm room,” Lee recalls with a chuckle. She continues, “I’ve always wanted to be an entrepreneur.”
Lee, who is of Jamaican ancestry, was born in Brooklyn, NY, raised in Arizona and after college, returned to The Big Apple, where she’s resided for the past 23 years. A proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Lee aspired to work in the beauty and fashion fields – and she did. After climbing her way up at beauty giant Estée Lauder, Lee joined cult makeup fave MAC Cosmetics in the early days of the brand’s existence and quickly rose up the ranks there as well. Then in 2005, Lee opened The Polish Bar in the heart of Brooklyn. Her chic nail salon also offered its hip clients waxing, makeup and eyelash services. By 2016, Lee was anxious to try her hand in a new field: real estate. The petite powerhouse closed her beauty business to pursue real estate full-time and focus on learning her new craft. Her drive paid off. Eight years later she is winning the hearts of people across the globe on Netflix’s Owning Manhattan.
We managed to sneak in a chat with the astute businesswoman about her bold career moves, the realities of working with her husband – it ain’t always easy – and the surprising ways buying property is more attainable than most of us realize.
ESSENCE: Congratulations on the success of Owning Manhattan! The show was ranked in the top 10 in over 40 countries worldwide. What has your feedback been since the show’s debut?TRICIA LEE: Most of the feedback is ‘I need to see more of you! They’re not showing you enough.’ It does get to me sometimes because it is not my show. It’s Ryan’s [Serhant] show. My family, people close to me, they are not surprised by the show and the public feedback I am getting. I’ve also learned that I’m very good on camera. [laughs]
ESSENCE: We learned on Owning Manhattan that you work with your husband, Jeffrey St. Arromand. The two of you were even guests on The Breakfast Club! What is it like building a business with your spouse?
LEE: I think we could do a far better job at keeping work and our marriage separate. We don’t have it all figured out yet. We have set some boundaries. But it’s hard. I don’t want to be the boss all the time. I want to be soft too. I don’t want to have to choose. I try to compartmentalize. In terms of the pros, we’re kind of like ying and yang. Jeff is more inquisitive. He picks up on the energy of a buyer or seller. Whereas if I walk into a home, I’m immediately looking at the interiors and the aesthetics. I’m like, ‘Oh that has to change. Or, this has to change.’ He’s not looking at that stuff. When a client works with us, they’re getting two different strength …
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