IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: A version of article was originally published by ThoroldToday on July 5.
For the past five years, best friends Heather Haalstra and Jennie Graziani, have been hair stylists at the same hair salon in Welland.
Now, the duo has decided to venture out on their own, by opening a hair salon on Towpath Street in Thorold, called Rustic Roots Hair Lounge.
The women want to offer a place for customers to relax and get their hair done, but most of all they want to create a space where lasting relationships are forged.
“We wanted something more intimate,” Graziani tells ThoroldToday. “I like having personal relationships with my clients and I like having that one-on-one time.”
Haalstra and Graziani met five years ago at a hair salon in Welland.
“She was already there when I got hired,” Haalstra says. “She was the one that showed me where to go and everything when I started there.”
Soon enough, the pair became close co-workers and confidants. When Graziani went on maternity leave, she trusted Haalstra to take over her client roster.
“I referred all my clients to her,” Graziani says. “All of them said it was a seamless transition. It was like I never left.”
The experience inspired the friends to branch out and start a hair salon of their own.
“That solidified that it would work out,” says Haalstra.
“It's really about having something that's ours, something prideful, something that we did together,” Graziani adds.
But starting your own business involves a lot more than just cutting and colouring hair.
“It was a lot of work,” says Haalstra. “The landlord did a bathroom demo for us. He pulled walls out, it was a very big renovation.”
The women quickly agreed on a shared vision for the salon.
“We had an idea of what we wanted our salon to look like,” Graziani says. “We wanted something more rustic, but we wanted something modern as well. So we went with Rustic Roots Hair Lounge, which gave it the rustic and the modern spin together.”
After a lot of preparation the women officially opened their doors three weeks ago.
“Everybody seems pretty happy that we're here,” says Haalstra. “We’ve had a few locals come in and they've all said great things. It’s been going really good actually.”
The women stress that when it comes to hair, there’s always more to learn, and they frequently enrol in new courses.
“It’s keeping up with the trends,” says Graziani. “You never know everything about hair. It’s always changing.”
At least now, at their new salon, they can be in full control of the hair styling experience.
“I like being able to give my clients an experience that they can be happy about and enjoy,” says Haalstra. “I was able to do that a little bit where we were before, but now it's something that I have ultimate full control over. I can make sure that it is relaxing or that it's fun and bustling or whatever. We can give them exactly what they want.”
Rustic Roots Hair Lounge is located at 11 Towpath Street in Thorold. For more information, go to the salon’s Instagram page.
