Two months in the planning stages, and another month and a half of hard work, have transformed a former office space at 109-1983 Columbia Avenue (Kootenay Crossing Mall) into an open concept, tastefully decorated, modern hair and nail studio.
Marnie Ostoforoff (Marnies Hair and Nails), Leslie Gray (Images By Leslie), Heather Sigsworth (Heather's) and Maria Bartlett (Studio Uno) have combined their four hair and nail care services under one beautiful new roof.
"It brings the overhead down and we can keep prices lower for all of our clients," said Ostoforoff. "It's something a lot of studios are doing."
"We all have our own product lines, own tools and own clients," added Bartlett. "Most of our clientele comes from word of mouth; in my case, it's all word of mouth because I've been doing this for 30 years."
Ostoforoff, Gray and Sigsworth worked together previously and decided to branch out to a new location, bringing Bartlett in from another studio.
Bartlett said husbands and friends took on painting, flooring and other jobs during the renovation.
New and repeat customers came in and out in to make or attend appointments on Tuesday, April 9, making it somewhat challenging to get all four women to even pause for a photograph.
Deliveries of flowers and gifts from friends, family and clients added a festive atmosphere to the studio.
"I think clients are really excited to be coming someplace new," said Ostoforoff.
All of the women prefer to work through appointments (and with as busy as they are, this likely works well for everyone) but are more than happy to accommodate walk-ins, too.
To book appointments contact: Marnies Hair and Nails at 250-365-3233; Images By Leslie at 250-608-0579; Heather's at 250-304-0034 and Studio Uno at 250-365-0207.