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Date: 7/22/2016
LONGMEADOW – Hair Studio One, at 20 Cross St., celebrated its grand reopening on July 15 following renovations and a change in ownership. The hair studio has been in business for 33 years.
Michelle LaValley, the new owner of Hair Studio One, told Reminder Publications prior to the ceremony she started working at the business a year ago. The hair studio’s former owner, Irene Dudek, asked LaValley if she was interested in taking over the hair studio.
“I remember looking at her and asking her if she was serious,” LaValley explained. “She still works here and everything’s been going smoothly. There’s been a lot of renovations and transition, but we’ve been there for each other the entire time.”
Dudek, who owned the business for 33 years, said she considers herself a mentor to LaValley.
“She’s great,” Dudek noted. “I really believe she can do what I did and better.”
LaValley described becoming the studio’s new owner as challenging, yet rewarding.
She added the building is at least 90 years old and some of the renovations included raising the ceiling. The business was open through the renovations, which took place during the course of several weekends.
“During [the renovations] we discovered that there were three layers of ceiling so we took out all the ceiling and we reused some of the rafters and made beams out of them,” LaValley said. “With that, I did spray foam insulation and LED lighting to make it more energy efficient and it opened it up a whole lot. We have better air circulation more.”
The store used to be a market and LaValley decided to keep the original sink, but added new cabinets around it as well as improved tiling and brick designs.
“We were hoping to have a very modern feel with a very historical feel [and] add them together,” she added.
LaValley said the business has been referred to as a “little hidden gem” in the past.
“A lot of clients that live here have said, ‘Oh, I didn’t know this was here,’” she explained. “So, I thought to myself, ‘We need to let people know that we’re here.’ We are very busy. All of our clients are extremely happy. We’re not sure how much we could expand or grow … I want to become more a part of the community.”
She said the hair studio caters to male and female clients of all ages and exclusively focuses on styling and cutting hair.
“It’s almost like that old town tucked away barbershop that’s in the neighborhood, except that it’s a hair salon that services everybody,” she noted.
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