Salon Lofts: A collection of services grows in St. Petersburg

While salons all over the country are failing as the depression continues to loom, there is a silver lining in the industry. Salon Lofts, a Columbus, Ohio-based company that provides independent salon ownership to beauty care professionals, has opened its third Tampa bay location in the Tyrone Square area at 7145 22nd Avenue.

Salon Lofts offers an upscale salon space and business services to established professionals who have the desire to be self-employed, and no longer want to work for a salon owner, or rent a booth in a salon on a commission basis. The new St. Petersburg Salon Lofts community of business owners has 22 individual lofts with stylist/Loft Owners providing hair, nail, and massage and esthetician services.

In addition to a private loft, Salon Lofts provides the Loft Owners with value-added services such as web based merchant account services, on-line scheduling, wireless internet, personalized web site, e-marketing services, business and marketing tools, and an on-line facility issue/resolution system.

“Tampa-bay is a very exciting market for Salon Lofts. The experience and caliber of the stylists that have embraced Salon Lofts solidifies our aggressive local expansion goals. The stylists have a skill and service that is second to none. Salon Lofts provides a great location, high-end facilities, and expert marketing and technical support services. Our success is cooperatively linked,” said Daniel Sadd, President and founder of Salon Lofts.

Founded in 2003, Salon Lofts is a unique, turnkey solution that offers upscale salon space and business and marketing tools for experienced beauty care specialists who desire professional and financial freedom. Since its inception, the privately owned chain has grown to 15 locations, including 3 in Florida and 12 in Ohio, with more than 350 hairstylists, nail technicians, massage therapists and aesthetician loft owners. Expansion plans call for 100 Salon Lofts in eight to twelve markets by 2010.

Matchstylist.com
Unique to Salon Lofts is www.matchstylist.com—a proprietary database-driven Web site that enables consumers to research and select a stylist based on the customer’s specific requirements. Customer preferences such as desired hairstyle, salon location, price, or type of service can each be evaluated in searching for a stylist.

Matchstylist.com attracts hundreds of new customers per month, and directs qualified clients to the best matched stylist.

Additional Information

• There are approximately 350 Loft Owners at Salon Lofts
• There are 12 Salon Lofts sites in Columbus, OH
• Salon Lofts has expanded into the Florida west coast market with three locations: Tampa (1) and St. Petersburg (2)
• Salon Lofts plans to expand to 10-15 locations in Tampa Bay over the next three years
• Salon Loft plans to grow to 100 stores in 8-12 markets by 2012

We had a Q&A with the owners of the Salon Lofts to find out more about their business.

1. What makes Salon Lofts different than other salons out there? For a stylist, they get to own their own business, run their own salon within a community of other independent business owners. Salon Lofts provides common area services and business and marketing support. Customers are able to support their stylist as an independent business owner while receiving very personal attention and one-on-one service from their stylist. And what’s so unique for the customer is the opportunity to choose a stylist that best suits that individual’s style and taste, rather than based on availability. Stylists and clients come together by compatibility rather than availability.

2. What are your services? Full service salon (hair, nails, massage, esthetics/skin care) at each location. Each loft owner determines which unique services they will provide. Customers can view online.

3. What are your price levels? Each loft owner determines their price levels at any range. The customer is given the ability (via salonlofts.com) to view all owners’ services and prices online and to select a stylist that meets their needs and budget.

4. How do you see Salon Lofts expanding in the future? By the end of 2009 there will be two additional Salon Lofts locations in the Tampa Bay area. Within the next three years, there will be approximately 15 locations in the Tampa Bay/St. Pete area in every large community.

5. Who are you ideal clients? Salon Lofts attracts a clientele from a broad range of lifestyles and income levels, however the trait they all share is a standard of high-quality in the cosmetic industry. Clients require the best service professionals using the best salon products with the most up-to-date knowledge of their industry.

6. What benefits does a person have coming to your Salon? One-on-one interaction and attention from their stylist. Customers are continuously commenting on how much they love the privacy in each loft. No other guests waiting or sharing their time. Another positive attribute is that most stylists come to Salon Lofts from small, intimate shops. Salon Lofts is a one-stop shop for a vast array of services, but still maintains that small salon feel.

7. Are there any future expansions for salon lofts in the tampa area? The third Florida location opened in February 2009 and the fourth location is set to open later this year in Clearwater.

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