After more than 30 years in the industry, hair stylist Sandra Sells has re- alized her life-long dream of having a salon of her own. “I just felt that if I were ever going to do this, I should do it now,” she reflected.
Sells learned of the space at 5166 Monroe St. in the Monroe Street office park behind David’s Bridal, 5162 Monroe St., from her long-time friend, Rebecca Carpenter of Feel the Knead, who leases part of the building.
Sells, and her husband, Pat, who is also her partner in the business, negotiated a lease for the 2,000 square feet of space from Tom Helberg of Bellevue Investors. “We had to make a few changes to be able to put this space together but it all worked out,” Helberg noted. Signature Bank arranged financing for the project. Sells also cred- its her attorney, Dick Malone, with helping to make her dream become a reality.
“Tom was very helpful and put us in touch with an architect to help with the plans and obtain all the necessary permits for the project. This allowed my brother, Steve Baker, who is a full-service, complete carpenter, to do the build-out of the space. He had to remove six walls, and add some others along with reworking the ceiling grid to reconfigure the space how I wanted it. He also built several cabinets to accommodate all of the stylists and nail technicians,” she said. My brother, Gordon Baker, was also an invaluable part of the family team that built salon213. He is a kitchen and bath remodeler and also put in many hours of work to bring this dream of mine to fruition!” she said. The space build-out included new plumbing and electrical work, as well.
The new salon has a comfortable waiting area, a processing room for hair drying, a waxing room along with a nail room, a large area accommodating nine hair stylist stations and three shampoo stations, a dispensary with individual locked lockers for each stylist, a kitchen and bathroom for stylists and nail technicians.
“This is wonderful space in a great location. We are in a very serene environment and I love all of the garden space around the building. My friend, Mitzi Bayer, created the wonderful garden space outside of our door, which is very welcoming for clients. We even have a patio that we can use for eating lunch outdoors. This is so good for all of the stylists and nail techs,” she said.
“This is an ideal and well- designed work space with excellent lighting,” she added. Sells said she and three other stylists who have been working together for over 25 years have continued their tradition in the new salon. In addition, five other stylists and two manicurists have joined the team. Together, they offer full hair and nail care for men, women and children.
All stylists and nail techs work by appointment and are open to new clients. General hours of operation are from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Originally reported by Sylvania Advantage.