SOLON — Salon RoseMary has an unusual name with a lot of meaning behind it.
“I chose the name because our daughter Gracie has cystic fibrosis and the symbol for that is a rose, and my sister Mary died last year from cancer. So, we combined the two names for them and got RoseMary,” said Theresa Hanes, owner of Salon RoseMary, located on Main Street.
Theresa graduated from The Salon Professional Academy in Iowa City and worked in a salon owned by the instructors, working her way into part-ownership. However, Theresa decided she preferred working with clients far more than managing employees and took a position at Salon La Di Da in Iowa City where she worked with a group of her friends for several years before going into business for herself.
“I loved it there, I thought it was perfect,” she said. Ultimately though, she was able to realize her dream, as “the exact perfect moment that we needed” arose. “They were so supportive of me when I told them I wanted to open up a salon, they knew that was my dream, so we’re still great friends.”
When it came time to find a location for her salon, her realtor suggested looking in Solon. The building at 206 E. Main St. formerly the offices of the Solon Economist newspaper, and originally a bank, was open. For Theresa, it was love at first sight, and also a labor of love converting the space into a working salon.
“I’ve had a ton of work from a bunch of friends, and family, and (husband) Ryan to get this going. Everybody knew this was my dream of opening my own salon. Being open and being in this community has been really awesome, better than I ever thought it would be, and I’ve really been welcomed. People pop in all the time, and it’s fun to see people walk by the windows and wave, and I’ve had a lot of support from the community.”
Salon RoseMary is a full-service salon for women and men. “I have four brothers and I have listened to them on what they don’t like about hair and when they get their haircuts, what they’re particular about or what they’re insecure about, so I pride myself on that, hearing from different sources
“You get a nice warm towel, and a scalp massage, which usually is everybody’s favorite part,” she said. “ I feel like at salons, we’re very particular, we do a lot of particular work, we do coloring, balayage, and foils so we’re very particular in our craft, so I feel like even with male haircuts, it’s very particular, very detail oriented. I do guys, girls, colors, highlights, balayage (a freehand hair painting technique), kids cuts, men’s cuts, and treatments for smoothing out hair from frizz and from moisture.”
Theresa is not only very particular about how she provides her services, but also about the products she uses.
“I met with seven different salon reps when I was looking for products to use. I was searching for a very sustainable brand that was going to be very good for my clients to have on their head, to breathe in, for me to breathe in, and for me to be sending them home with. I wanted to feel confident in what I was giving them.” With growing concern in the haircare industry over cancer causing chemicals, she was determined to find a brand she could feel good about. She chose Davines, which she said is the most sustainable product line in professional hair care. It’s also heavily scrutinized by the European Union, which prohibits the use of 19,000 different ingredients and additives in products to be sold there. In contrast, the United States bans eight.
Sustainability extends all the way down to their packaging as well, she said. “They’re very green, vegan, and the ingredients are the cleanest you can get.” In addition, the performance of the products is also exceptional, she noted.
“I really wanted to have the highest-quality products that I feel good about using.”
Salon RoseMary, open by appointment only, is more about hair care, it’s about developing relationships with clients, who become friends sharing the journey of life.
“The meaning of rosemary in general is about love, fidelity, the remembrance of those we’ve loved and who we are, and rosemary oil is used for hair loss, depression, and has a whole bunch of different meanings that are awesome and what I work with behind the chair, what we talk about, what we do; we’re there on wedding days, we’re there to get people prepared for sad days, and we go through all the emotions together so, I really love the meaning behind the name also.”
Salon RoseMary
Location: 206 E. Main St.
Phone: 319-800-ROSE (7673)
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086598271435
Salon RoseMary, located at 206 E. Main St. in downtown Solon is a full-service salon for the whole family.