MIDDLETOWN — The primary Change Magnificence Salon proprietor Sonia Santavenere was pretty content material managing her Middletown store when a storeper whose hair she was styling requested whether or not she’d be Considering about shifting into Fairfield County.
Santavenere, who has operated the 390 Washington St. hairdressing store for 26 yrs on Route 66 in Middletown, and lives above the store, Focuses on biracial and “overly curly” hair. A pair of of her consumers with difficult locks alreadverty drive prolonged distances for her professional providers — from as far amethod as New Hampshire and Ny, she said.
When posed with the question final yr, proper off the bat Santavenere was skeptical. “I said, ‘Hell, no,’” she said with Amusing Tuesday.
That’s till Definitely one of her 15-yr stylists referred to as her bluff: “‘Sonia, You understand you’re mendacity,’” she rereferred to as The worker saying. “‘You’d Want to have a salon in a mall.’”
She was maybe proper, thought Santavenere, who went to view a few of The woman’s plazas, collectively with a 1,200-sq.-foot space located subsequent door to a Starbucks and Stew Leonard’s in Norwalk.
“I used to be purchased,” said Santavenere, who calls The complete expertise a “fairy story story.”
The primary Change II, located at 56 Westport Ave. in Norwalk, off the Previous Submit Roadvert, will host its grand opening Dec. 13 in An space that’s Barely extra compact than her current salon. The three-chair store will permit Santavenere’s clients to take pleasure in A lot extra privateised providers, she said.
Education, and Making sure every visitor will get A custom-made styling regime and The biggest merchandise For his or her hair type, are key in a Paul Mitchell-focused salon, the proprietor said.
Santavenere hosts myriadvert social occasions, Similar to Women Let’s Converse, The Hat Partworky, and Do’s and Don’t of Bi-Racial Hair, Based mostly on her internet website. These are all designed To current an “inviting environment wright here consumers can overtly work together in dialog.”
A great Quantity of Santavenere’s clients have been Together with her As a Outcome of The startwork, she said.
“Regardless of Do You’d like to’re mixed with Black and Chinese language, no matter Do You’d like to’re mixed with Black and white, no matter you’re mixed with, the hair type Goes to be completely different,” Santavenere said. “You Even have …….