
The Constant
Starting at Impressions front desk in 2006 when he was 19 years old, General Manager Paul Petrowsky is a seasoned professional who owner Sarah Taylor says is responsible for much of her own success.
In the editor's column for March-April 2017, Stacey Soble calculates the value of the Atlanta salon owners on the cover, before announcing two new events for 2017.

“A picture is worth a thousand words.”
I happened to be observing as photographer Parish Kohanim was arranging the powerhouse salon owners for this month’s cover shoot, and that phase kept running through my head. Each of the 13 models—Candy Shaw, Tony Samples Kvapil, Lester Crowell, Matthew Khodayari, Steve Hightower, Jeff South, Jyl Craven, Joseph Golshani, Carol Siggers, Jessica Soler, Flonnie Westbrook, Jim Shaw and Van Council—represented one of the owners from the salons that founded the Atlanta Salon Owners Group. I started contemplating the beauty business value of the group, and the reporter in me couldn’t resist asking these owners a few more questions.

Collectively, the salons represented on our cover employ 916 stylists, colorists, estheticians, nail technicians, massage therapists and support staff. In 2016, they rang up 881,520 client tickets. And, their salons occupy 111,152 square feet of space. When it comes to the hair products they carry, they run the gamut, with L’Oreal, Wella, Kerastase, Redken, Aveda, Pureology, Shu Uemura, Smart, Oak for Men, Goldwell, Arrojo, Aquage, Balmain, Oribe, Bumble & Bumble, and MorrocanOil represented, along with a number of private labels. Combined with the other salons that make up the Atlanta Salon Owners Group, they are keeping Atlanta beautiful. It was fascinating to spend a day watching a room of people who essentially are competitors share successful ideas, learn together and support one another.
The New Education Destination
Harvesting the industry’s success stories and sharing them with all salons to elevate the industry is the foundation of two exciting events that Modern Salon Media family is hosting in 2017. And, coincidentally we chose Atlanta as our home base for both.
I’m excited to announce that Salon Today is partnering with ZeeZor to launch a totally new kind of salon business conference, the Data Driven Salon, which will be held at the Hilton Atlanta Northeast, June 25-26, 2017. This unique event will take a deep-dive into the metrics of salon success leveraging the data resources from ZeeZor and Salon Today. Participants will see how their own numbers stack up against some of the most successful salons, and they will learn from owners and stylists who constantly excel in areas such as retail sales, service sales, sales per ticket, client retention and staff retention. Early bird rates of $299 are available until March 31. For more information, visit datadrivensalon.com or call 310-533-2445.
Last October, Modern Salon held the first HAIR+ Summit, one of the first hair loss and hair thinning educational events organized by stylists for stylists. The event was a success, and the Summit’s advisory board is well underway planning year two, which will include both introductory and advanced tracks to meet the needs of stylists with varying degrees of experience in addressing hair loss. Mark your calendars, the event will be held at the Hilton Atlanta Northeast, September 24-25, 2017. Find out more or register at hairplussummit.com.

Starting at Impressions front desk in 2006 when he was 19 years old, General Manager Paul Petrowsky is a seasoned professional who owner Sarah Taylor says is responsible for much of her own success.

Planning is in full swing for the most anticipated events and promotions for the 2026 holidays. As owners share their favorite ways to celebrate, they prove that a carefully planned event can also build culture, increase client loyalty, boost sales, and set a business up for a successful 2027.

When things run amok at Mane Attraction Salon, Owners Chris and Jenny Knudsen say General Manager Sami Hernandez is their go-to resource and ultimate sounding board. Meet Sami in this installment of Meet the Manager.

Pagoda, a new AI-native operating system for scheduling, payments, patient records, marketing, and client communications, launches at Skinovatio Medical Spa in Arlington Heights, Illinois.

At a panel discussion hosted by L’Oréal Professionnel in Paris in early July, French Philosopher Sophie Galabru explored the cultural shift where women are increasingly choosing natural, personalized color results over traditional grey coverage. In an exclusive interview with SALON TODAY, Galabru and L’Oréal Professionnel Colorist Pierrick Beringer discuss this shift and how salons and colorists respond.

At Salon Blonde, Director of Operations treats the staff as the salon's most important guests, while her wonderful 'nerdy' side, loves data, systems, and numbers. Find out how she makes Salon Blonde tick.

In an exclusive interview with SALON TODAY, Salon Owner Salvatore Minardi reflects on his past 18 months as Intercoiffure America Canada's World Talent Exchange Ambassador and how his experiences will help encourage cultural and artistic exchange and support greater engagement between ICA and the global organization Intercoiffure Mondial.

Everything you need to know about client retention as a salon owner.

Owner Shelby Bills says her general manager, Sydney Osborne, reminds her of the power of leading with heart. Find out how Osborne became a great leader in our lastest installment of Meet the Manager.

In her latest blog, Kati Whitledge identifies the five stages salon owners go through when a team member leaves the salon unethically, offering advice for each stage.

The beauty and wellness businesses pulling ahead aren’t just working harder—they’re using AI to capture demand, personalize pricing, and convert more of every guest interaction into revenue. Here’s what the benchmark data reveals about the growing gap between AI adopters and everyone else.
Sponsored by Zenoti
Stop chasing recruitment ghosts on generic job boards and start curating an elite team. Discover the framework that top-tier salons use to bypass phone tag, automate visual portfolio vetting, and attract high-earning, culture-first beauty professionals directly through real-time messaging. Turn your recruitment process into an exclusive brand invitation that keeps your highest-ticket chairs permanently filled.
Sponsored by Beautista
Your calendar looks full, but is all of that demand actually converting to revenue? From phantom rebookings to underpriced peak hours, the 2026 Benchmark Report exposes five revenue leaks that most beauty and wellness businesses don’t even know they have.
Sponsored by Zenoti

After moving to Colorado and teaching at a cosmetology school, Allison Stock joined Zandi K as a stylist, eventually becoming part of the Leadership Team, Education Team and Master Bridal Team. Today, as Director of Operation, Stock is Owner Nicki Wenz's right hand, managing human resources and operations, education and career development, and coaching and culture.

In a world dominated by e-commerce, salon owners push back with proven strategies to increase retail sales while motivating team members to educate their clientele and delighting clients with retail-themed events and clever merchandising displays.

The company's Concealed Bead Method is raising the bar for what professional extension education can deliver.

Scott maximized her micro-salon by transitioning from stylist to strategic owner, focusing on recruiting and station-sharing. By prioritizing her ownership role over behind-the-chair work, she grew her team to six stylists within the two-chair, 150-square-foot space before eventually moving to a larger facility.