A group of three friends from Concord are opening a combination salon, spa, DIY and retail shop in the space that used to be Peter's Images Salon on the corner of Warren and North State streets, and it opened Friday afternoon. A grand opening will be held.
“It's all thanks to Paulette,” says Karin Lord, owner of Moon Babes Salon & Boutique. “She's the glue.”
Paulette “Polly” Bogosian, owner of Who Doesn't Want That, a retail space formerly known as Creative Works & Uncommon Wares, was asked by the building's owner if she knew anyone looking for salon space. said.
Bogosian knew the owners, who were embedded in the Concord community. She gathered her old friend Lorde and esthetician and spa operator Marissa Blasdell to work on creating separate spaces for each business.
Retail, DIY, salon, and spa sound like an eclectic combination, but retail and DIY shops have their own entrances and are relatively separate from salons and spas. The women explained that if hair salon or spa customers bring their children, it would be a great place to keep them busy.
They are excited to take up corner space.
“Isn't it nice to be in a place where everyone knows everyone?” said the Lord.
There are Moon Babes inside the main corner entrance. For Ms. Lord, this will be her first foray into business ownership, but she has been renting booths as a hairstylist for years and says it is very similar to owning her own business. she said.
She is excited to open her first salon and hopes the redesign of the space will create a welcoming environment. Among the changes are newly painted mauve walls, eliminating some booths for an open, spacious feel, and adding shelving to let in all the natural light from tall windows facing the street. This includes moving around.
“I really want to focus on hospitality and making people feel comfortable,” Lord said. “There are a lot of salons in Concord, so we wanted to stand out with an artistic but relaxed atmosphere.”
At the back of the salon, behind ornate doors, is a spa area with massage and pedicure rooms. Marissa Blasdell, an esthetician and owner of Earth Made Organic Day Spa and Soap Shop, has been selling natural soaps and cosmetics at Concord Farmers' Her Market for 26 years. She has owned and been involved with many salons and retail spaces.
Blasdell is looking forward to working with licensed technicians, masseuses, and estheticians as a contractor.
Bogosian opened a retail space of the same name on Main Street in October 2019, which unfortunately became a casualty of the pandemic.
Since then, she has run a business out of her home, selling beads, beading supplies, DIY kits and goods that share the same name as her online persona 'Polly B' Instagram and TikTok handle 'ITSMEPOLLYB'. Bogosian posts “Comedy Girl Reactions” and her Gen X content.
The new store on Warren Street will feature the best-selling stickers and pins from her previous store, as well as a variety of other items she also sold from her home, where shoppers can make their own beaded pens, bracelets and keychains. There will also be stations where you can make your own crafts. .
There was also nostalgia in opening this retail store and DIY space. The three remembered a store called Pip and Whatever that used to be downtown and had everything for kids. They all collected stickers in sticker books.
Bogosian is excited to move his business out of his home and collaborate with friends. She finds it rewarding to be her own boss.
“I like working for myself because I like to work hard, and when I get the money, I know I earned it,” Bogosian said. “I don’t just donate money to someone to go buy a yacht.”
The friends laughed when asked about potential business stressors in their friendships. They said that as long as they knew each other, communication was completely open.
They also bring something different to the table. Bogosian is fiercer and more direct, Lord encourages a thoughtful step back, and Blasdell is, in her words, “sensitive” and able to connect the other two emotionally.
They added that while the two companies work well together, it is important that the two companies remain independent and there are no plans to merge them into one.
All three are rooting for each other and are excited to work together as women-owned small businesses, especially in such a “perfect” space.
“We're working in the corner,” Bogosian joked. “In a good way!”