2021 SALON TODAY 200: Salon Honorees Alphabetically Arranged C-F

As the pandemic forced salons to close across the country in 2020, owners and their team members had to pivot, designing new avenues to bring in revenue while their doors were shuttered, incorporating stringent new safety and social distancing procedures, and getting creative with their budgets to weather the challenges of the year.

SALON TODAY’s landmark salon business competition also shifted, temporarily abandoning its sharp focus on growth, and instead choosing to celebrate the business successes of 2019 and the tales of leadership and heroism for 2020.

To make this large story a little easier to digest for our readers, we’re breaking it into segments alphabetically. Here is the 2021 Honorees for Salons C-F.

The Changing Room
Aventura, FL
Changingroomsalons.com
Justin Gold
SQUARE FEET: 2,800
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 31
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $68
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Matrix, Surface, Olaplex
COLOR: Matrix
TECH SUPPORT: Millennium, Salon Clouds Plus
“Before reopening we analyzed each area of the company, determining what was profitable and what was not. Due to low profit margins, a steady decline of sales and the need for social distancing, we decided to eliminate our nail and spa services. We reopened as The Changing Room 3.0 with clearly defined expectations, better accountability, improved systems, and higher standards all around.”

Charlotte Thomas Salon
Phoenixville, PA
charlottethomassalon.com
Nina Childers
SQUARE FEET: 3,000
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 16
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $60
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Eufora
COLOR: Eufora
SKIN CARE: Cosmedix
TECH SUPPORT: Phorest, Meet Your Stylist
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA, 2 to 10 Network
“During closure, we implemented surveys to allow team members to anonymously voice their concerns and offer suggestions for dealing with the new challenges we faced. This allowed our team to be heard without fear or embarrassment. We gained a lot of insight and good ideas, and we will continue to use surveys in the future to keep a finger on the pulse of the salon.”

Chemistry Hair Salon
Shreveport, LA
Chemistryhairsalon.com
Hallie Briethaupt, Aubre Clark, Bryan Sullivan
SQUARE FEET: 2,300; 1,200
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 37
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $58
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Pureology, Redken, Mizani
COLOR: Redken
SKIN CARE: Baxter
TECH SUPPORT: Envision, Inovshop
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA
In ten years, we’ve grown from a four-chair booth rental salon to a 13-chair salon after four major physical expansions. Along with the physical expansions, we have implemented six-hour, double shifting Monday through Friday, and added a Sunday shift from 12-6 p.m. To create more room for our growing team, we opened a second location in September 2019.” 

Team members from Citrus Salon in Martinez, CA, on the back patio they transformed into a salon when California allowed outdoor hair services. 

Citrus Salon
Martinez, CA
citrus-salon.com
Candice Gliatto
SQUARE FEET: 3,400
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 20
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $85
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
TECH SUPPORT: Zenoti
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA
“Three weeks after reopening, cases spiked in California and we were forced to close again. Eventually, our county allowed outdoor cutting services, so we transformed our back patio into a beautiful outdoor cutting oasis. The local news covered our outdoor salon and people flocked from surrounding cities for a haircut alfresco.”

The team from Cloud 9 Salon and Spa in Flower Mound, TX. 

Cloud 9 Salon and Spa
Flower Mound, TX
cloud9salon.com
Kim Cloud
SQUARE FEET: 8,200
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 48
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $55
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: private label, Aquage, Moroccanoil 
COLOR: L’Anza, Redken, Wella
SKIN CARE: private label, Obagi, Dermalogica
NAIL CARE: OPI
TECH SUPPORT: Millennium, Demandforce
“We wanted to stand out in our community as a strong business and a survivor, so we started doing daily how-to videos and daily deal videos and used a texting company to send them to every client in our database. The percentage of clients seeing them was astounding compared to email.”

Coiffeteria Salon
Grand Rapids, MI
coiffeteria.com
Marielle Shuster
SQUARE FEET: 2,000
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 13
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $60
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
SKIN CARE: Aveda
NAIL CARE: OPI
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA
“Thanks to Qnity, we are learning to say NO to some things to allow us to focus on what we are good at. We are an amazing team of talented stylists, but we’re not social media gurus. Admitting we needed help, we outsourced our marketing, and that helped us increase sales in 2019.”

Color Salon and Spa
Morrisville, NC
colorsalonspa.com
Jeff Lester
SQUARE FEET: 2,400
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 16
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $50
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Bumble and Bumble, Sebastian, DevaCurl
COLOR: Wella, L’Oréal, Pulp Riot
TECH SUPPORT: Shortcuts
ASSOCIATIONS: SSBC
“We offered take-home color kits to guests during the shutdown so they could apply their own color at home. We offered certain times during the week where guests could call ahead, pay over the phone and come by and pick up their kit without entering the salon.” 

The team from Craig Berns Salon Spa in Delafield, WI. 

Craig Berns Salon Spa 
Delafield, Wisconsin
craigberns.com
Craig and Mary Beth Berns, Stacy and Ryan Moore
SQUARE FEET: 3,200
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 29
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $65
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda, Oribe
COLOR: Aveda
SKIN CARE: Aveda, Eminence
NAIL CARE: CND
TECH SUPPORT: Phorest
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA
“To strengthen relationships with our guests and our community, we sent weekly emails about what’s happening at the salon. But we also included delicious recipes to try each week and lighthearted topics that were a hit. We also did weekly live videos sharing support for neighboring businesses creating a sense of community while we were separated during the pandemic.” 

The team from Crown Salon & Extension Studio with their canine mascot in front of the extensions wall in the salon. 

Crown Salon & Extension Studio
Colorado Springs, CO
crown.salon
Jenna Bowden
SQUARE FEET: 1,900
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 5
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $75
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Kevin Murphy
COLOR: Kevin Murphy
TECH SUPPORT: Vagaro
“Via our VIP Extension Membership, guests are charged monthly, which covers maintenance every five weeks and brand-new extensions every six months. This also entitles clients to savings on hair color as well as take-home retail products and treatments. These memberships drive up average service tickets and gratuity for our staff, and make up 20% of our highest-value guests.”

An inside look at Custom Cut & Style in Butler, PA. 

Custom Cut & Style
Butler, PA
customcutstyle.net
Jamie Claypoole
SQUARE FEET: 1,600
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 7
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $35
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda, Signature
COLOR: Aveda
SKIN CARE: Aveda
NAIL CARE: Morgan Taylor, Gelish, CND
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz, Wix
ASSOCIATIONS: Inspiring Champions, National Association of Women
“With the help of my business coach, we started undoing the ‘combination pricing’ I inherited with the salon. New clients were an opportunity for growth, and we offered existing clients a loyal customer promotion that prints up on their receipts. This shows them what they should be paying and will eventually be increased to, so there is no confusion.” 

The team from Cutting Cave in Pooler, GA. 

Cutting Cave
Pooler, GA
cuttingcave.com
Nikki Scott
SQUARE FEET: 1,575
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 10
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $30
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Reuzel, Live Bearded, Layrite
TECH SUPPORT: Shortcuts
“We ran a digital click ad campaign with our local news station, and had a such great success that we actually had to stop the campaign due to us not being able to keep up with the volume! To our surprise, the ad really spiked during hurricane season because everyone was always on their phones checking the weather.”

Cynthia Perry, owner of Cynergy Color Bar in Wake Forest, SC.

Cynergy Color Bar
Wake Forest, NC
cynergycolorbar.com
Cynthia Perry
SQUARE FEET: 1,300
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 8
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $55
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Surface, Goldwell, Virtue
COLOR: Goldwell, Redken, Pulp Riot
TECH SUPPORT: Phorest, Vish, Square
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA
“During closure, we customized an entirely new website that allowed clients to purchase products, root touchup kits and to make donations. From this platform, we could ship products to clients’ homes and they could sign up for free 10-minute phone consultations. We incorporated a release form, an instruction sheet and a video to help them apply their color.”

Dame Salon Spa
De Pere, WI
damesalonspa.com
Maggie Dame
SQUARE FEET: 2,000
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 16
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $55
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
SKIN CARE: Aveda
NAIL CARE: OPI, The GelBottle
TECH SUPPORT: Meevo
ASSOCIATIONS: ICA
“We are used to being focused on a team goal every month, so when we were closed I launched our first-ever walking contest, with the end goal being our mental health and wellness. We reached our goal of 20,000 minutes of walking wellness. We also launched a learning contest, rewarding team members for their education hours earned.”

Ame and Dennis Metcalfe, owners of DAmetris Aveda in Arvada, CO.

DAmetris Aveda
Arvada, CO
dametris.biz
Ame and Dennis Metcalfe
SQUARE FEET: 1,200
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 8
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $55
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz, Salon Clouds
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA, ABCH
“During our closure, we worked with a business coach from Strategies to identify our cost per hour upon reopening. We strategized and retooled all service prices to hit $80 an hour. And, we implemented new service time standards.”

Davanti Salons and Spa
Denton, TX
davantisalon.com
Tracee Herring
SQUARE FEET: 2,000; 1,100
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 25
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $50
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
SKIN CARE: Aveda, Cosmedix
NAIL CARE: Sparitual
TECH SUPPORT: Aura, Vish, Constant Contact, Trello
“We have an amazing, highly skilled esthetician who pushes us to try new services in the spa. She took the initiative to get advanced training in lash lifts and dermaplaning, which we supported. Post-COVID, these new services have been great for driving new business into the spa.”

Owner Lou DeCola with his team from DeCola Salon in Exton, PA. 

DeCola Salon
Exton, PA
decolasalon.com
Lou DeCola
SQUARE FEET: 4,400
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 28
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $54
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: R+Co, Lakme, Oribe 
COLOR: GK, Lakme, F-18
TECH SUPPORT: Vagaro, Meet Your Stylist, Deputy
“In 2019, I assessed our profitability from a square footage perspective. About 1500 square feet of space on our second floor was used for education classes and small revenue services. We added two shampoo bowls and six additional styling stations and a color bar. We hired more stylists, and gave others more hours--within months, the space was profitable.”

Details Salon and Spa
Mount Joy, PA
detailsofmtjoy.com
Margaret Landis and Chris Miller
SQUARE FEET: 2,200
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 8
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $45
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Eufora
COLOR: Eufora
TECH SUPPORT: Phorest
“For our curbside pickup days, I created a spa day kit and an at-home mani/pedi kit, offering guests value when we couldn’t love on them. Once reopen, I became very involved in partnering with other businesses. We participated in a Trick or Treat event, handing out candy to kids and $10 gift cards to their parents, reaching 500 potential new guests.”

Detlev Gessner, the owner of Detlev—Lifestyle Salon in Miami, FL.

Detlev - Lifestyle Salon
Miami, FL
detlev.com
Detlev Gessner
SQUARE FEET: 2,000
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 15
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $73
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
SKIN CARE: Aveda
TECH SUPPORT: Rosy, Weave
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA
“In 2019, we took on a second Internet service provider. Here in Florida, we get a lot of storms, and sometimes the power goes out. We simply can’t have that happen on a busy Saturday because it paralyzes us. It just takes 30-60 seconds to switch over, and is worth the extra $100 per month for that safety net and a guaranteed smooth process for our guests.”

The team from The Door Salon in Keego Harbor, MI, take a fun selfie. 

The Door Salon
Keego Harbor, MI
thedoorsalon.com
Cindy Penrod
SQUARE FEET: 1,400
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 8
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $53
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Redken, Pureology, Olaplex
COLOR: Redken, Pulp Riot
TECH SUPPORT: Envison, Stylenet, Jotform, Sendgrid
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA, SSBC
“Once we were able to reopen, I implemented a double shift workday that allowed my team to maximize our reconfigured space.  Double shifting reduced the number of stylists that were in the salon at one time, allowing those that were there to double book, as they traditionally would do, to maximize their earning potential.”

Eden Salon & Spa
Oklahoma City, OK
edensalon.com
Jan and Richard Hill
SQUARE FEET: 2,400
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 15
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $50
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
SKIN CARE: Aveda
TECH SUPPORT: Salon Ultimate
“We enrolled several staff members in Qnity’s Plan to Prosper. It was volunteer and the costs were prorated from paychecks, but when anyone reaches their goal they receive reimbursement for the course. Everyone on the team is participating in ‘Beat Your Best Week,’ and teamed with an accountability partner.”

Traci and William J. Hampton, owners of Element 5 Salon in Charlotte, NC. 

Element 5 Salon
Charlotte, NC
Element5salon.com
William J. Hampton
SQUARE FEET: 2,400; 1,600
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 28
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $55
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
SKIN CARE: Aveda
TECH SUPPORT: SpaBiz, Demandforce
“We identify individual skills that our employees have and try to expand their role beyond just doing hair. Several of our stylists serve additional roles such as training, marketing and customer service. One of our stylists is great at social media so we pay her to manage the salon’s social sites and rely on her skills to help the salon grow.”

The Elements of Style team in Eldersburg, MD, dressed for Halloween. 

Elements of Style Salon 
Eldersburg, MD
elementsofstylesalon.com
Paris Cimino, Kimberly Walker, Jake Kissel, Dawn Miller
SQUARE FEET: 3,000; 1,695
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 40
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $50
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Redken, Pureology, Grande Hair
COLOR: Redken
SKIN CARE: Bioelements, Farmhouse Fresh
NAIL CARE: CND, SNS
TECH SUPPORT: Envision, Meet Your Stylist, Textel
ASSOCIATIONS: 2 to 10 Network
“Using JotForms, we created customized e-coaching forms that provides a reliable way to communicate and a fast method to collect all the information that holds the service provider accountable. It includes monthly financials on service and retail and a review of commitments, areas of struggle, and how they plan to grow in an area that is tough for them.”

Jessica Greene, owner of Elements Salon in Fernandina Beach, FL.

Elements Salon
Fernandina Beach, FL
Elementssalonfl.com
Jessica Greene
SQUARE FEET: 1,300
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 14
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $55
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
SKIN CARE: Aveda
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA
“Before reopening, I purchased iPads for each station to ensure that the clients didn’t have to walk around the salon.  The iPads are used to check clients in and out, to record formulas and create client tickest.  We are able add products and check the guest out all while they remain in their stylist’s chair.”

An inside look at Ellie K Salon in Frisco, TX.

Ellie K Salon
Frisco, TX
ellieksalon.com
Kerry Hovland
SQUARE FEET: 3,200
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 21
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $79
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
SKIN CARE: Aveda
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz, Salon Clouds Plus
“Neill Corporation did an outstanding job supporting salons during closure—we could enroll in Aveda Business College at a discounted rate, stylists were given free classes daily, and we were invited to participate in weekly webinars that touched on current issues. We set up ‘mannequin kits’ so team members could practice what they’d learned online.” 

Some virtual love from the team at the Eric Fisher Salon in Wichita, KS. 

Eric Fisher Salon
Wichita, KS
ericfishersalon.com
Eric and Mary Fisher
SQUARE FEET: 4,000; 1,500; 1,500; 1,500
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 100
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $55
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aquage, Kérastase, Eleven Australia
COLOR: Goldwell, L'Oréal Professionnel, Aveda
SKIN CARE: Skinceuticals, Image Skincare, Hydrafacial
TECH SUPPORT: Phorest, Tippy, Zeezor, SurveyMonkey
ASSOCIATIONS: 2 to 10 
“Our stylists coordinated a ‘Save Your Roots for Us’ collage of photos to post and we ran a giveaway for a free root touch-up when we re-opened. We also created a brief video to show clients how their visits would look during the pandemic which helped things go smoothly.”

Face to Face Salon and Spa
Chicago, IL
Facetofacesalonandspa.net
Antonella Frangella-Quinn
SQUARE FEET: 2,000
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 17
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $48
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Paul Mitchell, Aquage, Milkshake
COLOR: Paul Mitchell
SKIN CARE: Bioelements 
NAIL CARE: OPI, CND, Gelish 
TECH SUPPORT: Meevo 2, Salon Clouds, Salon Builder
ASSOCIATIONS: Cosmetologists Chicago
“To prepare for reopening, we had a day where we had the staff came in to try out the new procedures and give input to what they thought would work best.  In the end, the clients were happy with all the extra safety measures we took, and it brought a sense of confidence and calm upon their return.”

Rachelle Yarnell, owner of Facet Salon & Day Spa in Garrettsville, OH. 

Facet Salon & Day Spa, LLC
Garrettsville, OH
facetsalonandspa.com/
Rachelle Yarnell
SQUARE FEET: 3,500
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 7
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $45
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: JPMS, Olaplex, DevaCurl
COLOR: Paul Mitchell, Joico
SKIN CARE: Bioelements
NAIL CARE: OPI, CND
TECH SUPPORT: Meevo
“Twice a year guests have the ability to purchase bonus cash. The bonus cash option is offered over a 4-day period. If a guest purchases a $50 gift card, they get $10 free; a $75 purchase gets them $25 free; and a $150 purchase gets them $50 free. On average, 200 guests take advantage of the Guest Bonus Cash twice a year.”

The team from Finé Bella Salon in Avon Lake, OH, is pretty in purple. 

Finé Bella Salon
Avon Lake, OH
finebella.com
Sheri Hancock
SQUARE FEET: 2,218
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 35
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $45
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: private label, Davines, Color Wow
COLOR: Davines, Scruples, Schwarzkopf
SKIN CARE: Comfort Zone
TECH SUPPORT: Phorest, Millennium, Demandforce, Zeezor
“We created a new holiday promotion where the client purchases and two Davines products, and they received their choice of one of the free goods. To make things fun, we built a huge Christmas tree display with the boxes and they got to take one home if they purchased into the promotion. Our total retail revenue grew 10.68% in our last quarter.”

Team members from Five Senses Spa, Salon & Barbershop in Peoria, IL, in their Some Good News post.

Five Senses Spa, Salon & Barbershop
Peoria, IL
FiveSensesSpaAndSalon.com
Paola Hinton
SQUARE FEET: 5,000
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 21
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $45
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
SKIN CARE: Aveda
NAIL CARE: OPI, Aveda
TECH SUPPORT: Millennium, Salon Clouds Plus
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA
“Taking inspiration from John Krasinski, we launched ‘Some Five Senses Good News,’ engaging the team and our guests with fun and uplifting reports on what different employees were doing. The social pages even got the actor’s attention with a like from the Some Good News site.” 

The team, en mask, from The Full Spectrum Hair Salon in Murphy, TX. 

The Full Spectrum Hair Salon
Murphy, TX
thefullspectrum.us
Ruth Ononogbu
SQUARE FEET: 3,000
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 13
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $36
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda, Kerastase
COLOR: Aveda
SKIN CARE: Aveda
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz, Demandforce
“Since our salon offers hair extensions, we extended the training to all stylists to increase the number of people who could offer and install new hair extensions, as this ensures that the clients are re-booked for their services and are consistent in returning.”