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Business & Tech

My Friend's Salon Celebrates First Anniversary

As a customer appreciation day, My Friend's Salon in Grayslake will be hosting a party filled with food, raffles and family fun on Sept. 24.

One year ago, Aimee Schimanski shifted gears and sold her cosmetology school to open . The year has flown by and business is booming. So what’s the secret of the her success?

“It helps to have great price points, and it is so helpful to have realistic pricing in this difficult economy,” Schimanski said. “Clients can get great, quality salon work done without the huge expense. People actually THANK us for taking a family’s budget into consideration.”

Many clients have come to the salon since it opened in 2010. “I love the relaxed atmosphere, and I always know my hair is going to turn out fantastic!” said Lorena Risinger, a client who has brought her entire family to the salon from its very beginning.

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Schimanski’s salon has four employees: receptionist Courtney Risinger; and three stylists — Cyndi Culhane and J’Me Janusz; and a nail technician Rochelle Eslinger.

“We have a great team here  … I think of it as a family,” said Schimanski.

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The following are highlights of services that have been added over the past 12 months:

  • Keratin treatments to straighten and smooth out
    frizzy hair
  • Moroccan Oil, which also smoothes and conditions hair to make it super-soft
  • Shellac nail polish that bakes on and lasts for four to six weeks
  • Facial waxing
  • Feathers and glimmers

The salon also has items for sale:

  • Handbags
  • Jewelry
  • Stationery
  • Treats provided by Cynthia’s Sweets

“The best sellers by far are items from Cynthia’s Sweets. We can’t keep them in stock, people just love them!” said Schimanski.

Challenges have faced the salon, as with most businesses in this down economy.

“People are going longer between visits, understandably, and so it takes longer to touch up hair,” Sckimanski said. “Just getting our name out there (as a new business) and having new people try us out, and simply getting noticed in general, have been the biggest struggles.”

But there are up-sides too.

“The community is amazing and we have the BEST clients ever!” Schimanski said. “We have clients bring us fresh vegetables from their gardens, and cookies. Grayslake has such a nice ‘small-town feel’ to it.”

Schimanski also added the benefit of their location. With the constant back up of traffic on Route 120, people can see the salon and view the phone number easily. Since all employees are from Grayslake, they have a strong customer base of family and friends. That’s part of the reason she continues to hire Grayslake residents as positions become available.

“We are so excited for our anniversary party, which will be held Saturday, Sept. 24, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.” Schimanski said. “We will be grilling hot dogs, having basket raffles full of products, a balloon guy, face painting, and even a famed psychic ‘Merrily’ from The Tavern in Long Grove. We want to say thank you to all of our clients!”

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