What a super day out in Bloemfontein... it was wonderful to meet the local EOHCB manager, Reita Crawford, and to visit so many, so different salons. There were salons based in malls. Salons that had moved from malls to houses. Salons that had moved from houses to malls... It's no wonder everyone in Bloemfontein has such fabulous hair.
The day started with a visit to Salon Hannelie, in Fichardt Park. This really beautiful salon was the epitome of a really professional home salon, that makes brilliant use of its space. Hannelie, the owner, spoke to me about the vital role that the EOHCB plays in assisting businesses, and how important it is for every salon to be a member. We also did a salon video tour - watch out for it in the next week or two!
Then it was off to meet Mark Trisos, who is the owner of the famous Maison Costa salon chain. Mark is an experienced businessman, who believes salons should be run as businesses if they are to succeed. He shared a wealth of advice which will be shared in a future Monday Business newsletter. Then I had the chance to tour all four of the Maison Costa salons.
These stunning salons are brilliantly branded and have a really strong and positive culture - due to the fact that Maison Costa grow all their staff from apprentices, rather than hiring experienced staff - and they have many hairdressers who have been with the group for decades. Award winning icon Marlien Onderstall has celebrated her 50th anniversary working for this group. She is pictured here together with Mark.
After that, I paid a flying visit to a small and simple salon where the vibe is all about friendliness and fun - Heavenly Hair in the Joy Centre, McCabe Street. And then it was home... to get out tomorrow's news report. There were so many salons I didn't manage to visit this time round, or would like to revisit... so Bloem, we'll be back!
But what's that sound
I hear now? I believe it might
be a well earned glass of wine, calling me!
