Trenditions Hair Salon in Towson, Md.
On the outside, Cheryl Owens’ hair salon comes off as a plain, do-it-yourself type of business. With its gray walls, nothing sets the building apart from any other along Chesapeake Avenue in Towson, Md. I admit, upon my first visit, I expected it to be just another privately owned place to get a haircut. I could picture the interior: white walls lined with chairs, sinks and a rack full of Paul Mitchell hair products.
That was until I walked in.
The walls were painted a deep maroon, and each mirror that aligned them was separated by a large star, reminiscent of one you’d find inked above the elbow of a rockstar or a bearded motorcycle buff.
And that’s exactly the image Owens’ salon, “Trenditions,” is going for.
“I wanted it to look like a tattoo shop,” she said.
It certainly does. From the punk-rock influenced decor, to the alternative music playing, Trenditions proved to be anything but the traditional hair salon. Good thing too, because the traditional hair salon can be found just half a block down the street.
Inside view of Salon. (Photo from Trenditions Web site)
Trenditions, which opened in August of 2008, has always been a dream of Owens’. Having previously been the manager of a Regis chain salon in White Marsh, Md., Owens decided to finally take the step to being more than just that — she wanted to be an owner.
“This is something I’ve always wanted to do,” she said. “I realized it was time to make money for myself, not someone else.”
Owens said that over the past year, Trenditions has seen considerable growth, despite the economy or the surplus of salons in the area.
“We’ve been booming. People are just figuring out that we’re here, and I think we’re really starting to flower.”
A surprise, considering Trenditions doesn’t have that “girly” vibe commonly associated with hair salons. But Owens believes that’s what’s made it so successful.
“The only thing that’s really hurt us is people not getting color,” she said. “That’s because more guys are getting their hair done here.”
By taking an alternative approach to a traditional service, Owens has set her business apart from the competition, attracting a demographic that most salons intimidate — men.
“We try to be more approachable…I think we’re a more comfortable place for them to come.”
It seems like a wise approach with the current state of the economy. While most businesses struggle for years to set themselves ahead of the pack, Trenditions has done so right out of the gate.
Visit Trenditions online.
Whoa… I enjoyed your description of the salon. Did she mention any ways that she is informing people about the salon? Overall, this a great post and would be great as module three.
It shows that you put a lot of work into this post. The pictures are great. It really makes it seem like I’m there. This seems like it can be a solid module, let alone a good blog post. Hopefully you use some of this in the module, because the topic and the writing make this an interesting read.
Does the vibe of the salon make the haircuts more punkish? It’s a really cool idea to have a non-traditional hair salon. Their name really catches what they’re going for, trendy styles.
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