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.
by Stacey Soble
Living the New Dream
After 20-plus year in the corporate arena of professional beauty, Allyson and Shannon King are ready to put their well-worn suitcases in storage and open up a salon a neighborhood close to their home in Brooklyn, New York.Both felt they were ...
September 8, 2015
3 min to read
After 20-plus year in the corporate arena of professional beauty, Allyson and Shannon King are ready to put their well-worn suitcases in storage and open up a salon a neighborhood close to their home in Brooklyn, New York.
Both felt they were blessed to start their careers as hairdressers straight out of high school. Allyson dreamt of becoming a CEO of a large company, and she did so—first as vice president of salons for Ulta, then CEO of the Dessange Group of North America. Shannon hoped to become a world-renowned platform artist and educator, which he accomplished—appearing onstage as an international artist and Exchange facilitator for Redken, as Matrix’s global director of education and training development and as an international artist for Keune.
“Now, it’s time to take what we’ve learned and do it on our own, with our vision and our own style,” says Allyson, who launches a blog series journaling the couple’s experience on salontoday.com in September. “We’ve traveled the world—but now I’d love to ride my scooter to work and pick our daughter up from school each day. To me, that’s priceless.”
Unlike other first-time owners, the Kings have a library of business and techical knowledge they’ve been sharing with others for the past 20 years. As they open what they hope will be an amazing salon, they want to continue helping other salon owners and stylists be the best at what they do, while making a solid living at the same time.
The first thing the couple has to decide is how their brand will be different from their competitors. “The salon space is very competitive,” Allyson says. “If we are going to jump in, the first thing we have to decide is how we will be unique. We thought we’d keep it close to home—Brooklyn is cool, Brooklyn is eclectic and Brooklyn is truly a melting pot.
The Kings want to open a salon that is truly multi-cultural, just like their family. “We don’t want to focus on Caucasian hair or African American hair, we want to focus on Brooklyn hair,” Allyson explains. “What if every stylist could do every client’s hair—really every client. What if every client was serviced with enthusiasm, creativity and style because the team gets that hair is hair.”
The Kings start the process by reaching out to a friend who’s an expert in franchise real estate for restaurants and businesses the same size they want their salon. She pointed them to them to a commercial realtor who is a native Brooklynite, has experience with smaller retail spaces, as well as has been instrumental in the growth of several chains throughout New York’s boroughs.
Together they map out the neighborhoods they love and gather relevant demographic data. They decide they want a spot located close to a coffee shop, winestore or outdoor eatery with easy access to public transportation.
“We really want to be a hip community salon, and we want to target up-and-coming neighborhoods where we can take advantage of lower rents before things get too expensive,” Allyson says.
Throughout their journey, they quickly learn some important lessons about commercial real estate, and Allyson shares the important lessons they are learning, as well as how their corporate knowledge is shaping their decisions through her picture and personality-blogs.
“Creating a multi-cultural salon is our mission, and Brooklyn is our muse,” she writes in her first blog. “Time to get to work, chat with you soon.”
Subscribe to Our Newsletter
More Salon Management
The Most Wonderful Time in Salons and Spas
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.
by Stacey Soble
Leading with Empathy, Humility and a Mastery of Systems
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.
by Stacey Soble
Pagoda Brings AI-Powered Operations to Skinovatio Medical Spa Locations
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.
by Staff
How Women are Rewriting the Rules of Grey Hair
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.
by Stacey Soble
Warm Leadership and Analytical Precision
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.
by Stacey Soble
Trotting the Globe, Forging Connections, Fostering Artistic Creativity
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.
by Stacey Soble
Client Retention Guidebook
Everything you need to know about client retention as a salon owner.
Success Grown from Within
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.
by Stacey Soble
How Salon Leaders Can Process the Pain and Lead Forward When a Team Members Leaves Unethically
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.
How AI Is Closing Revenue Gaps for Salons and Spas
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
The Premium Talent Magnet: The Modern Salon Playbook for Attracting Six-Figure Stylists
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
Five Revenue Leaks Hiding in Your Salon
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
The Heartbeat of Zandi K's Success
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.
by Stacey Soble
Rethinking Retail in the Era of E-Commerce
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.
by Stacey Soble
The Harper Ellis Hair Co. Certification Program Teaches Stylists a Smarter, Safer Way to Install Extensions
The company's Concealed Bead Method is raising the bar for what professional extension education can deliver.
by Staff
The Micro-Salon Blueprint: How Kat Scott Quadrupled Income by Maximizing Her Suite
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.
by Staff