Honorable Mention 2
Honorable Mention: Best Hair Salon 7+ Stations, 2009
Vanity Lab
24945 Detroit Road, Westlake, OH
440-835-4490
Owners: Jim and Angie Hofelich
Year Founded: 2008
Mission Statement
“To demystify the salon and spa experience and to empower our clients to recreate their services at home.”
Employees: 16
Stations: 12
Describe the culture of your business—how do you want clients to feel when they walk through the door?
We want our clients to feel transported to the East Village of NYC. We want the clients to feel our business is welcoming, professional and premium without being pretentious.
What makes you different than other salons/spas?
Our Style Mapping and Home Rx Systems set us apart by truly caring about delivering the clients wishes and giving them the tools to maintain their service at home. Our space is unique as well due to our boutique featuring locally made art and products, our resident DJ, our Brow Lab, Pedi Lounge and Color Bar! Our client care systems include a Welcome Marquis for new clients, follow up phone calls from stylists, hand written thank you notes from owner and more.
List courses and other learning opportunities that you and your employees have participated in over the past year:
Sassoon Chicago, Davines in-salon and events, Kemon in-salon and events, Gallup Leadership training, Millennium/Harms Conference, Dr. Darla Goal Setting and Positive Thinking seminars, Alysia McKean relaxation and scalp massage training, Serie Expert in-salon trainings, Uphair concentration with Christine Chamness.
What three words best describe your business as a whole?
Wish, Develop, Empower (these are our core values)
What is your customer service philosophy?
The customer is the center of our universe. We try to create a sense of unity in this regard by providing each team member with a copy of “Hug Your Customer” by Jack Mitchell when they are hired.
What promotions do you conduct?
We have a VIP Referral program cards where new clients save $20 and referring client gets $10 for each one that comes back in with their name on the cards. We currently have an offer for a free hand/foot balm with any retail purchase: buy 2 products and get an OPI polish or Demeter lotion. We also have a raffle for a free pedicure when you pre-book your next appt.
What’s exciting, new, unique and enticing about your menu?
We offer chocolate pedicures where we use chocolate masques, cocoa foot scrubs and client is served a chocolate during the service. The antioxidant properties of the caffeine leave feet feeling great!
How does your salon/spa look, feel, smell, and sound?
Our space looks urban and bohemian; we have exposed ceilings, local art displayed and our vintage elements such as Warhol’s and Faye Dunaway pop art photography. The feeling is fun, casual yet premium. The scents are yummy and vary depending if you are near our candles or the coffee/herbal tea bar. The sounds we like to change up with our resident DJ lounge music, Motown Fridays, Reggae Thursdays.
How does your décor and mood shape your brand image?
Our branding is built to attract the clients who would appreciate it. Our Midwestern clients are not always able to get into NYC or Chicago to get the latest hip so we have built that here.
Has your business undergone a recent expansion? If so, please explain why you chose this new look.
We are only a year old, but we added a Brow Lab about six months ago to offer clients another service here that other salons didn’t have.
What do you do to stay involved in your community?
Angie is a member of Key for Women National Advisory Board, member of Girls with Sole Board of Directors and advocate for Wigs for Kids. Our salon has participated in many events such as ponytail cut-a-thons, ongoing we offer complimentary cuts if you are donating your hair, we adopted a family who suffered hard times with their young father’s death. Currently we are partnered with the Northeast Ohio SPCA no-kill animal shelter where team volunteers and we have focused our fundraising efforts on this year such as dip donations etc.
How often do you meet with your staff for goal-setting, personnel reviews or progress discussions?
We have monthly meetings and quarterly reviews.
Describe your business goals.
In one year to have $1,000,000 revenue, full staff. In five years to double-shift out stations and have built a Cleveland-area salon network.
