Salon Today - June 2008 - (Page 36)

salons of theyear RTHIRD RUNNER UP: Republic Salon A turn-of-the-century building sets the tone for Republic’s hip clientele. T Talk about artistic expression. The owners of Republic Salon decided that their space should echo the funky vibe of downtown Athens, Georgia. Denizens of artists and hipsters—many courtesy of the neighboring University of Georgia—pepper the salon with their colorful murals and other local art, which the owners keep in regular rotation. “We’re known as an artists’ city,” says Alissa Carrier, who owns Republic with her sister Roberta Carrier and stylist Lyric Bellotte. “We knew we wanted to incorporate the city into the salon.” RRepublic Salon Location: Athens, Georgia Opened: September 3, 2007 Owners: Lyric A. Bellotte, Alissa B. Carrier, Roberta H. Carrier Website: www.republicsalon.com Salon style: Chic urban loft Square footage: 4,300 Styling stations: 7 Treatment rooms: 0 Equipment: Takara Belmont Furniture: Takara Belmont Top retail lines: Davines, ghd Design: Stephen Michael, Columbia Beauty Supply Architect: Charles Porter Judges’ comments: “The silhouettes in the reception area are way cool and fresh.”—Ray “The circular color bar puts colorists on center stage and involves clients in the process.”—Soble But it’s the turnof-the-century building, which houses the salon, that really set the tone for the overall design. Alissa explains that she and her co-owners knocked down walls and installed new ﬂooring, but they stayed true to the loft’s exposed brick walls, ceiling rafters and myriad Palladian windows. Dashes of black and red accent an otherwise white palette. Alissa says that using the natural light from the windows was key, particularly since color is such a sought-after service at Republic. The focal point of the salon is a bold, stainless steel color bar. Here clients lounge as they process, and enjoy a spectator-like experience, watching We knew we wanted to incorporate the city into the salon. —Alissa Carrier colorists mix their formulas. But the color bar is only one gathering spot for clients. A café table is set windowside where clients can help themselves to coolers packed with beer, wine, cocktail mixers, bottled water and soda. Clients can also munch on complimentary snacks as they surf online through Republic’s Wi-Fi service. The retail area is equally relaxed—and a bit eclectic, since locally designed jewelry and other accessories are sold alongside products. Republic’s owners were careful, though, not to overwhelm clients with an over-the-top sales ﬂoor. “I wouldn’t say the salon feels homey, but it deﬁnitely feels relaxed,” Alissa says. “Clients feel like they can just hang out here.” n WEB WATCH Want to see more photos of our winning salons? Visit www.salontoday.com 36 | June 2008 www.salontoday.com http://www.republicsalon.com http://www.salontoday.com http://www.salontoday.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Salon Today - June 2008

Salon Today - June 2008 Contents Editor's Note Reception Fashion Sense Roundtable Introduction Juut - Grand Prize Winner Gene Juarez - First Runner Up Dennis Bartolomei - Second Runner Up (tie) Sine Qua Non - Second Runner Up (tie) Republic - Third Runner Up Salons of Distinction Products Owner of the Year

Salon Today - June 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.