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 P-R.

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A team member welcomes guests to the new beauty experience at Panache: An Aveda Store, Salon & Spa in St. Augustine Beach, FL.

Panache: An Aveda Store, Salon & Spa
St Augustine Beach, FL
getpanache.com
Kristy Weeks
SQUARE FEET: 2,400
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 40
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $60
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
SKIN CARE: Aveda, Eminence 
NAIL CARE: OPI, SNS
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA
“After 33 years of sole ownership, I took on a partner, Michelle Vijgen, who has an extensive retail background. We ran an aggressive holiday ad campaign via social media and email, resulting in 394 gift cards sold, $32,274 in retail and gift cards sold in three hours at our holiday guest appreciation event and $129,605 in total holiday retail sales.”

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Team members at Paris Parker in New Orleans are masked, shielded and ready for work. 

Paris Parker
New Orleans, LA
Parisparker.com
Garrison Neill
SQUARE FEET: 6,800; 8,800; 2,900; 1,800; 1,900; 2,800
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 214
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $55
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
SKIN CARE: Aveda
NAIL CARE: Zoya
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz, Demandforce, Presence AI
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA, 2 to 10
“We partnered with a Louisiana Moms’ Blog, offering free Hydrafacials to 26 bloggers in exchange for them writing about the experience.  In one year, we made $73,000 in regular facials and in six months we brought in $50,000 in Hydrafacials, which allowed us to grow our spa business.”

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Scot Robinson and Shawn McGhee, owners of Pavo Salon in Memphis, TN.

Pavo Salon
Memphis, TN
pavosalon.com
Scot Robinson and Shawn McGhee
SQUARE FEET: 4,000; 2,200
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 45
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $75
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
SKIN CARE: Aveda, Zo Skin Health, Colorescience
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz, Demandforce, Reach
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA
“During lockdown, we sold anything not nailed to the floor through curbside or delivery. We create at-home color kits, spa packages, product packages and even a special Mother’s Day package that came with wine and skin care products.”

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Debra and Charles Penzone, owners of Penzone Salons + Spas.

Penzone Salons + Spas
Powell, OH
penzonesalons.com
Debbie and Charles Penzone
SQUARE FEET: 13,000; 20,000; 12,000; 1,100; 3,000; 2,500
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 384
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $53
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Davines, Alterna Haircare, L’anza
COLOR: Schwarzkopf, Davines, Evo
SKIN CARE: Eminence, Jan Marini, Dr. Dennis Gross
NAIL CARE: CND, OPI, Footlogix
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz
ASSOCIATIONS: ICA, ISBN, PBA
“While we were closed, we partnered up with 12 local businesses for an Instagram giveaway. The reward was rich, equaling $1,200 to spend total at the local participating businesses. The post had incredibly high engagement, with nearly 200 comments of those vying to win the prize!”

A Perfect Hue Salon LLC
Las Vegas, NV
aperfecthue.com
Emily Climer
SQUARE FEET: 1,200
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 8
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $50
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Redken, Pureology, Mizani
COLOR: Redken, Pulp Riot
TECH SUPPORT: Envision Cloud, Salon.marketing
“Our team created social media guidelines for the company and for each stylist level. Two of our best social digital practices are following city hashtags and using scripts to direct messages to potential new guests. Our trademark is a clean background, smooth polished hair, and smiling faces.”

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Philip Shipman, owner of Philip Johnson Salon/Spa in St. Louis, MO. 

Philip Johnson Salon/Spa
St. Louis, MO
philipjohnsonsalon.com
Philip Shipman
SQUARE FEET: 2,500
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 15
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $46
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
SKIN CARE: Aveda
NAIL CARE: Zoya
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz, Demandforce, Reach
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA
“We partnered with a company called Reach to fill open spots on our appointment book.  With Reach, guests are incentivized to come in during our slower times with tiered service discounts. On average, we’re generating an additional $1,600 a month that otherwise would have been lost.”

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The team from Pin-Up Curls in Fort Wayne, IN. 

Pin-Up Curls
Fort Wayne, IN
pin-upcurls.com
Erin Raber
SQUARE FEET: 5,000
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 27
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $58
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Eufora
COLOR: Eufora
SKIN CARE: Glo Skin Beauty
NAIL CARE: CND, OPI
TECH SUPPORT: Phorest, ZeeZor, Vish
“We no longer have a front desk. We created a call-center and standing stations for our guest sales team to check-in and check-out guests. We have two members that work with the stylists to take care of the guests in the salon, getting them checked in and then completing the sales and re-booking processes.”  

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The team from Pistachio Cut & Color Bar in Carlsbad, CA. 

Pistachio Cut & Color Bar
Carlsbad, CA
pistachiohair.com
Rod and Lucy Hatefi
SQUARE FEET: 985
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 17
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $65
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
TECH SUPPORT: Meevo, Sendinblue
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA
“Pistachio coordinates an annual retreat to escape the salon and bond as a team. In 2019, we hosted a three-day trip to Palm Desert, giving our employees time away from their day-to-day work life to participate in team building exercises and refocus our goals and priorities for the coming months.”

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The team from Posh Salon and Day Spa in Kokomo, IN, don matching shirts for their 15th Anniversary Party. 

Posh Salon and Day Spa
Kokomo, IN
poshsalon-dayspa.com
Lindsay Pyle, Perri Acord, Stephanie Wrightsman, Tia Green
SQUARE FEET: 3,300
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 37
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $37
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Redken, Pureology
COLOR: Redken
SKIN CARE: bareMinerals, PCA
NAIL CARE: OPI, CND, Essie
TECH SUPPORT: STX Cloud, Zip Whip
ASSOCIATIONS: ISBN, PBA
“Once we reopened, we extended our hours and changed our shifts to allow stylists to work with social distancing guidelines. We noticed we had a huge influx in new guests after reopening, so when we were able to operate at 100% capacity, we decided to keep the extended hours as they proved to be profitable.” 

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The team from Progressions Salon Spa Store in Rockville, MD.

Progressions Salon Spa Store
Rockville, MD
progressions.com
Cynthia Feldman
SQUARE FEET: 9,000
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 40
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $106
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Oribe, Kerastase, Bumble
COLOR: Goldwell, Redken, Pulp Riot
SKIN CARE: Eminence, Alchimie, Cannabliss
NAIL CARE: OPI, Deborah Lippman, Gelish
TECH SUPPORT: Millennium, Demandforce, Textel, Zeezor
ASSOCIATIONS: I/SPA, PBA
“We developed at-home color kits with a video tutorial. They included color, developer, gloves, a mixing tool, a Goldwell color lock serum, samples of shampoo and conditioner, and we retailed them for $75. We have provided 597 color kits and earned $44,775.” 

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The team from PURE Salon and Spa in Ankeny, IA. 

PURE Salon and Spa
Ankeny, IA
mypuresalon.com
Leah Moravec
SQUARE FEET: 2,000; 1,000
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 22
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $47
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
NAIL CARE: CND
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz, Demandforce
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA
“For our managers, we created a chart giving them a 17% growth goal over the previous year.  If they made the goal for the current month, they were rewarded with an extra PTO day. If the made it for an entire quarter, they earned a $500 cash bonus.”  

Pure Salon Spa
Louisville, KY
puresalon-spa.com
Laura Watkins
SQUARE FEET: 1,633
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 11
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $45
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
SKIN CARE: Aveda
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz, Demandforce, Reach
“In 2019, we started hosting monthly events to attract new guests, including makeup, braiding and shine/hydration. Each event would include a lesson by one of our technicians, as well as special purchase promotions for the night and bouncebacks for discounts on specific services.s

R Salon
Webster, NY
rsalon.com
Scott Dennis, Jena Antos and Deanna Lancie
SQUARE FEET: 3,500
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 10
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $55
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
SKIN CARE: Aveda
NAIL CARE: Emma
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz, Mindbody, Frederick, Listen 365
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA
“We implemented a mobile check-in/check-out process through MindBody, essentially disassembling our front desk. Several employees in guest services wanted more responsibility so we were able to streamline that department and elevate those who wanted to grow, as well as save $34,000.” 

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Mary and Scott Randolph, owners of Randolph’s Salon with three location in Clarkson, MI.

Randolph’s Salon
Clarkston, MI
Randolphssalon.com
Mary and Scott Randolph
SQUARE FEET: 3,000; 2,900; 1,700
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 88
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $50
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Redken, Pureology
COLOR: Redken
TECH SUPPORT: Envision
ASSOCIATIONS: Intercoiffure, 2 to 10, Summit Salons
“We recently launched aggressive recruiting campaigns for both new stylists and guests, working closely with a social media consultant.  We know there are many stylists who have lost their salon home, and many guests who have lost stylists who didn’t return. If we can offer a new amazing salon home for both, it will be beneficial for all of us.” 

Raven Row Salon
Austin, TX
ravenrowsalon.com
Raven Camacho
SQUARE FEET: 1,500
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 15
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $75
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Cult & King, GM Reverie, Innersense Organic Beauty
COLOR: Goldwell
TECH SUPPORT: Vagaro, Fresh Lime
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA
“We switched from a la carte pricing to hourly session pricing. We also eliminated double booked appointments from our schedule and streamlined all services. We understand the need to charge for time, especially with the extensive color services that are performed these days.

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Troy Winget, owner of RedBloom Salon in Calgary, Alberta.

RedBloom Salon
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
redbloom.ca
Troy Winget
SQUARE FEET: 2,300; 1,500; 2,400; 1,900
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 61
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $67
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda, Evo Hair
COLOR: Aveda, Evo, Schwarzkopf 
SKIN CARE: Aveda
NAIL CARE: Sparitual
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz, Sling
ASSOCIATIONS: 2 to 10 
“We launched the RedBloom Express Service, a collaborative in-salon/at-home hair color experience. We apply professional color in the salon, wrap it up in our RedBloom head wraps and the guests wash it out at home.”    

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Jennifer McClanahan, owner of Revive Salon in White Bear Lake, MN. 

Revive Salon
White Bear Lake, MN
revivesalonwbl.com
Jennifer McClanahan
SQUARE FEET: 3,212
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 22
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $42
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
SKIN CARE: Aveda
NAIL CARE: OPI
TECH SUPPORT: Millennium, SalonBiz
“After reading Traction by Gino Wickman and attending the Strategies Game Planning workshop, I realized that I could no longer work from a project-based structure. We needed to create roles and a more linear management structure.  So, we jumped right in and started creating roles with no person in mind, and called them avatars, sketching out responsibilities for each one.” 

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The team from Rituals Day Spa in Enterprise, AL.

Rituals Day Spa
Enterprise, AL
ritualsenterprise.com
Ginger Redd
SQUARE FEET: 4,000; 3,100
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 41
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $55
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
SKIN CARE: Guinot, Aveda, PCA
NAIL CARE: Aveda, CND, OPI
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz, Zeezor
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA
“Our salon leader was instrumental in helping us introduce a hair extension line by setting up in-depth training and education. All of our stylists became certified and this increased our service dollars in the amount of $10,300 and our retail by $11,500.”

The Ritz Inc
Lake Charles, LA
theritzinc.com
Melinda Tilley
SQUARE FEET: 1,800
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 10
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $35
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
SKIN CARE: Aveda
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz
“We had been reopen for just over three months, when our community was hit by Hurricane Laura, and the entire town was without power for weeks. We received minimal damage and two weeks after, we invited stylists from all over town to join us to give free haircuts to first responders. At least 10 salons we know were completely lost to the hurricane.”

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Ang Shaver, owner of Root 39 Salon & Spa, Inc. in Springville, NY.

Root 39 Salon & Spa, Inc.
Springville, NY
root39salon.com
Ang Shaver
SQUARE FEET: 3,000
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 11
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $33
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: L’anza, Nioxin, Colorproof
COLOR: L’anza, All Nutrient, Pravana
SKIN CARE: Bodyography, Skin Scripts
NAIL CARE: OPI, CND
TECH SUPPORT: Fresha
ASSOCIATIONS: ABCH 
“The pandemic also changed our annual makeover contest, which usually is judged in April by salon professionals that are not acquainted with our stylists. This year, entries were posted online and the general public voted for their favorite. The winning stylist received a new pair of $600 shears and the guest received a gift card.”  

Samuel Sciotto and Lauren Hart, owners of The Root Salon in Phoenix, AZ.  
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Samuel Sciotto and Lauren Hart, owners of The Root Salon in Phoenix, AZ. 

The Root Salon
Phoenix, AZ
therootsalon.com
Lauren Hart and Samuel Sciotto
SQUARE FEET: 1765
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 16
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $62
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda, Alfaparf, Ergo
COLOR: Alfaparf, Redken, Wella
TECH SUPPORT: STX, ZeeZor
ASSOCIATIONS: ISBN, PBA
“After reopening, we took temperatures and signed waivers daily. We fog with a sanitizing company weekly. We are now open seven days a week to accommodate our guests. A video featuring our safety practices was posted on all channels. Immediately, salon revenue and sales were back to pre-closing status.”
*Adam the Root Salon

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Lucas and Susan Renfroe, owners of Roots Southern Salon in Savannah, GA. 

Roots Southern Salon
Savannah, GA
rootssouthernsalon.com
Susan and Lucas Renfroe
SQUARE FEET: 2,500
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 22
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $65
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Redken, Pureology, Olaplex
COLOR: Redken, Pulp Riot
SKIN CARE: Image
TECH SUPPORT: Envision, Salon.marketing
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA
“We opened an online store via Shopify to sell products online during the shutdown. We have continued to develop our store after reopening. We are one of the only salons in the country currently working to develop an API integration between Shopify and Envision software to accurately track inventory purchased from either system.”

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