At only 24 and 25 years old, Stacy Read and Theresa Cipriani, both of Wallingford, say many people didn’t take them seriously when they spoke of their plans to open their own salon and day spa in town just three years ago. But after doing their homework and finally securing a loan, Serenity Salon & Day Spa, LLC opened its doors in Wallingford in 2007.
Now, three years later, Read and Cipriani are being honored with the Connecticut Small Business Administration’s Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
“When we started, we always knew we wanted to be a full-service salon and day spa,” Read said. “Last August, we decided to open the yoga studio and the retail area.”
The salon and day spa offers everything from haircuts and color to manicures, pedicures, waxing, facials, massage, body wraps and full spa packages.
The adjacent Escape: Mind & Body Boutique Yoga Studio offers various yoga and pilates class and workshops, including Pilates for Golf and Mother and Daughter Yoga Spa Day.
The business started with four employees, including Read and Cipriani, and now has 18, plus several independent contractors working as class instructors at the yoga studio.
Serenity is a “Redken Elite Summit Salon,” which indicates the salon exclusively uses and sells professional Redken products. Read said the Elite Summit program also helps stylists achieve their goals.
“It will help our staff have a career and not just a job,” Cipriani said. “It’s a 10-year program for people we hire which offers benefits and money toward education. In the end, if they are true assets to the company, they are asked to have a share in the company.”
Cipriani said the program helps stylists to keep themselves accountable for their work.
“It gives them goals to reach when they grow independently, and when they grow independently, it helps grow the company,” she said.
Read said the employees are excited about the program.
“They control their destiny — they control their career,” she said.
Serenity employees participate in regular workshops and training sessions to keep their skills sharp and current. The salon prides itself on great customer service and providing an “experience” rather than just a haircut or manicure.
“What makes us different is, in our community, there is nowhere else you can go and get the ambiance we provide and all the services we provide,” Cipriani said. “It starts from the second they walk through the door – getting treated with respect and having the elite customer service that they deserve.”
The salon is uncluttered, with candles lit and ambient lighting all around. There is always an array of coffees, other beverages and snacks to munch on.
“We try to keep our energy very upbeat and positive,” Cipriani said. “It’s just making sure the air is clean so that when clients walk through the door, they shouldn’t feel anything negative.”
Although the salon is still young, employees are steadily building a strong customer base.
Karen Doolittle of Wallingford has been going to the salon about every four weeks to get her hair done since shortly after Serenity opened.
“As far as hair goes, they have a lot more ideas,” Doolittle said. “That’s why I stopped going to my old salon – I was stuck getting one hairstyle all the time. These guys were like, ‘Let’s try this; let’s try that’. It’s a lot more fun.”
Doolittle also takes advantage of some of Serenity’s spa services.
“They play nice music and it’s just a nice, relaxing atmosphere,” she said. “They make it more of an experience instead of being in a salon with a lot of noise.”
Still in their 20s, Read and Cipriani are grateful that New Alliance Bank took a chance on them and later gave them another loan to expand their business. “They trusted that we knew what we were doing and that we could make this be successful,” Cipriani said.
The SBA Young Entrepreneur of the Year award is given annually to a majority owner who is under 30, and who operates or bears principal responsibility for operating a small business with a three-year track record.