'Be your own boss': Salon suite franchise, opening first Lehigh Valley location, gives hair stylists and other lifestyle professionals freedom to grow business – The Morning Call
A franchise offering opportunities for hair stylists, estheticians and other lifestyle professionals to be their own boss is coming soon to Whitehall Township.
Phenix Salon Suites, a California-based salon suite rental concept, is expected to open in May or June at 2180 MacArthur Road, next to Redner’s Warehouse Market in the Whitehall Square shopping center, franchisee Antonella DeFalco said.
The venue, the company’s first location in the Lehigh Valley, will feature 37 luxury salon suites for hair stylists, barbers, cosmetologists, nail technicians, massage therapists and other lifestyle professionals to run their own business.
Each suite will be entirely private, with its own door, sink or shampoo bowl, temperature controls and more. Owners will be able to set their own hours, use their own products and decorate their spaces in their own personal style.
“They’re boutique salons,” DeFalco said. “So, they’re smaller in scale, but they have everything a salon has.”
DeFalco is partnering with her husband, Paul DeFalco, and brother and sister-in-law, Fred and Karen Ferraina, to run the Whitehall location of Phenix.
The DeFalcos also operates four other Phenix locations in the Philadelphia metro area, with their first opening in Bala Cynwyd, Montgomery County in 2016.
“[Salon owners] have 100% control,” Paul explained. “So, it’s your hours, your services, your prices, your products, your music, your temperature. They control everything, which is great.”
Phenix Salon Suites, founded in 2007 by beauty expert and celebrity hair stylist Gina Rivera, gives lifestyle professionals the freedom to grow their business while maximizing their income.
Unlike hair stylists and other employees at traditional salons, professionals operating their own salons at Phenix don’t have to forego any revenue generated by their services. They’re able to keep 100% of their profits.
The concept is particularly helpful for up-and-coming beauty professionals, especially individuals who have their own client base and wish to take their career to the next level, Paul said.
“In the salon industry, there’s a natural tension between salon owners and employees, and a lot of it primarily centers around two areas: one is schedule — employees generally ask to work on Saturdays, and two is pay,” Paul explained. “The typical salon professional working in a salon makes 50% commission. So, if they do a service that’s $150, the salon keeps $75, and they keep $75.”
“So, they get frustrated about not having the freedom that they feel they deserve and not bringing home nearly what they expect to bring home.”
Antonella and Fred, both Lehigh Valley natives, are excited to open their first Phenix location in the area where they grew up. The Ferrainas, who reside in Nazareth, will serve as the Whitehall location’s local representatives.
Together, the team is “not a faceless company” and aims to know “every person in every suite by face and name,” Antonella said.
“We really have a passion for what we do,” Antonella added. “I, personally, offer training, start-up and business-related classes for the people who are at our locations because it’s so important to us that the people who are at our locations are thriving and that they run successful businesses and learn early on what they need to do to have a successful business.”
Phenix Salon Suites, which encourages lifestyle professionals to “be your own boss,” began franchising in 2012 and has grown to more than 300 salons in 33 states. Locations feature shared restrooms, laundry rooms, break rooms and waiting areas.
Renovations are underway at the forthcoming Whitehall location, and suite spaces remain available. For more information about renting a suite, call 484-430-1820 or visit phenixbeauty.com.
