The Name Game
Each year, we spend approximately six months working on various aspects of the SALON TODAY 200. In fact, I spend so much time on each application, the salon names start to play games with my mind.
For example, this year we have an Avalon Salon Spa in Illinois and Avalon SalonSpas in New Brunswick. (In Celtic mythology, Avalon signifies a place of magic or enchantment.) Knowing that both Bella and Belle mean beautiful in different romance languages, there’s no surprise that there’s a Bella Lago Salon and Medspa in North Carolina, a Bella Style Salon in Louisiana, and a Belle Ciel Salon in Florida. There’s an Elevate Beauty Lounge in North Carolina, and Elevate Salon + Spa in Virginia. In Iowa, Essence Salon resides, while Essense Salon & Sanctuary hails from London, Ontario. Bonus points if you keep the different spellings straight.
I have to be careful not to mix up Revive Day Spa in South Dakota with Revive Salon & Day Spa in Ohio. Then you’ve got the blondes—Salon Blond in Florida, Salon Blonde in Tennessee, and The Blonde Salon in Georgia. Finally, you have Shear Art Salons in Florida, and Shear Artistry & Day Spa in Alabama.
Do you have that straight? There just might be a pop quiz later!
Over time, I’ve also unearthed some of the interesting stories behind the naming conventions of our honorees:
- Sisters Debbie Fletcher and Brittany Fletcher Elmore named My Father’s Mustache in honor of their father, Mister Wayne, who was a barber and owned the first unisex salon in Cookeville, Tennessee.
- Abbie Crafton left her ex-husband in 2013, and she and her two sons lived on government assistance for a year until they got back on their feet. In 2020, she opened Gray & Graham Salon, proudly naming it for her sons Gray, now 18, and Graham, 15.
- Chet and Amber Pope named 27 The Salon for their wedding anniversary, which falls on February 7th (2/7), as well as the love that built their business.
- D’Ametri’s Salon in Broomfield, Colorado, was conceived when husband and wife Dennis and Ame Metcalfe blended their first names together.
- Marian Sang named Omagi Salon Spa for the Italian word, Omaggi, which means good fortune or to pay tribute.
- When Chelle Neff was pondering names, she wanted to incorporate Betty, as it is both her grandmother’s name, as well as her own (Betty Michelle). She thought the name Betty’s Salon seemed too antiquated, but went to bed one night thinking about other brand names she liked, such as the cosmetics line Urban Decay. As she relaxed, the name came to her—Urban Betty.
No matter what our 200 named their businesses, we look forward to honoring their success stories at our SALON TODAY 200 Celebratory Dinner and Award Program, which is part of our Data-Driven Salon Summit in Austin, Texas, May 16-18.
