MENU
SEARCHTyra Banks might reign over America’s Next Top Model, but in one Chicago neighborhood, it’s the Genacelli Salon, owned by Cynthia Porcelli and Joseph Cartagena, who rule. This fall, the salon sponsored Lakeview's Next Top Makeover, a fun-filled contest and event to raise money for the renovation of Weisman Park, a local urban green space that serves 5,000 residents of the Lakeview/Lincoln Park area.
Tyra Banks might reign over America's Next Top Model, but in one Chicago neighborhood, it's the Genacelli Salon, owned by Cynthia Porcelli and Joseph Cartagena, who rule. This fall, the salon sponsored Lakeview's Next Top Makeover, a fun-filled contest and event to raise money for the renovation of Weisman Park, a local urban green space that serves 5,000 residents of the Lakeview/Lincoln Park area.
"This was the culmination of a seed I planted with the park's advisory council last February," says Porcelli. "For years, they've been coming up to me asking for gift baskets for different fund-raising activities and I thought, ‘I want to do something more, something spectacular.'"
Spectacular it was. Leading up to the event, the salon encouraged the community to nominate friends, spouses and family members for one of five makeover spots. The salon interviewed each nominee, looking for five brave souls willing to undergo radical transformations. The day before the event, Genacelli stylists completed the new looks and helped each finalist select cocktail attire from a local rental store.
More than 150 neighbors shelled out $25 for admission, which included the red carpet reveal, a silent action, a raffle, refreshments and product-filled swag bags. To add a little pizzazz, local female impersonator Miss Continental emceed the red carpet, ushering out the parade of five finalists.
Before images served as masks for the finalists in Lakeview's Next Top Makeover. On the red carpet, the five finalists dropped the masks to reveal their transformations by stylists at Genacelli Salon in Chicago. The event raised $3,500 for the renovation of a neighborhood park.
Results of the makeover. (Click pictures to enlarge)
"When we interviewed the candidates, we took 'before' pictures," explains Porcelli. "For each finalist, we took the images, blew them up and mounted them on foam core with a stick at the bottom creating a mask. Each candidate walked out behind the poster of his or her before image, and we did the reveal Oprah style," says Porcelli. "The transformations were so dramatic, many of the attendees' mouths dropped open in shock and two of the candidates broke out in tears of joy."
The model with the highest applause won a $500 gift card to the salon, and the event raised $3,500 for the park. But the owners are discovering the goodwill value for the salon is priceless. "People I don't know keep stopping me and telling me what a great night it was," says Porcelli.
"We've seen a lot of fund-raisers, but this was really different," says Marie Poppy, president of the Weisman Park advisory council. "Because we're making over the park, a makeover event was a great fit, but it also was fun, fun fun. The town is still buzzing about it."
The strongest salons, spas, and med spas know which numbers tell the real story of their business. In this practical guide, Phorest breaks down the five essential KPIs every business should track to improve retention, boost revenue, and make smarter decisions with confidence.
Sponsored by Phorest
At Bella Style Salon in Slidell, Louisiana, Director of Operations Angela Meyer tackles inventory, team management, and guest relations. Read all about her in our latest Meet the Manager.
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.
