“After 34 years, I still love what I do,” says Caroline Day, owner/stylist at Caroline’s Hair Salon & Day Spa located at 5082 Ridge Road West (just west of the Route 259 intersection) in Spencerport.
Caroline has owned her present location since 2007, prior to that, she worked in the Spencerport area at Enrico’s and partnered in ownership at both Fine Lines Hair Design and Village Designs.
Q: How is business?
“Business is very good, it is very busy,” Caroline says. “Business has spread by word of mouth, that’s the biggest seller,” she says. Her website, (http://carolineshairsalonanddayspa.com) is also helpful, she adds.
Caroline says in the past, the business offered facials and massage, but she notes, “It’s hard to find somebody who will put forth the effort,” needed to build clientele. “Right now, we’re focusing on hair and nails. We also have electrolysis and waxing.”
Caroline’s current team of professionals (she rents out the chairs in her salon) have worked in the business for years. “I have a good group of girls,” she observes. “It’s so important. Everybody has got at least ten years experience.”
The Hair Salon & Day Spa offers clients professional hair and styling products that can’t be found outside “a professional salon,” Caroline adds, and she and her operators use top of the line hair colors and other products, “… we don’t skimp,” she says.
Q: What are your biggest challenges?
“Finding people who want to put in the time to build clientele,” Caroline notes of potential operators for her shop. When someone is just starting out, Caroline says she will work with them because it takes time, patience and perseverance to grow business and clientele.
She, herself, has been self-employed since 1981 and at that time her commission was her rent.
“You could sit from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and you could have one client or twenty. You have to be willing to be patient,” she says, “to build a personal base of clients who are looking for you.”
Q: What do you like best about your business?
“The personal relationships with clients,” Caroline says. “We have the best customers in the world. They are like family. They know about your life and you know about theirs.”
During a recent medical leave, Caroline says she received cards, letters and flowers from her clients. “They become part of your family,” she says.
Q: What are your future plans for the business?
“I’m going to be doing this until I’m 110,” she jokes, but she is serious about sticking with her business well into the future.
“I’m not planning on going anywhere,” she says. “I can’t just walk away, there are too many people I dearly love. I can’t imagine going to work everyday if I didn’t love what I do.”
Her business is located in a former private home. The house was 105 years old when Caroline bought it and she renovated it from the ground up.
“It has a homey feeling, where people can get comfortable,” she says. “There is a good feeling when you walk in.”
Q: What is your advice for someone considering starting a business?
“Do your homework,” she advises, “people think it’s easy and it’s not.
When you are the owner, everybody depends on you. It’s a lot of responsibility. Be aware of all that’s involved. It’s not just opening a door and walking in.”
Open for business: The shop is open Tuesday through Saturday, closed Sunday and Monday. Tuesday: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Wednesday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Hours can vary by operator. Walk-ins when available; appointments recommended: 585-352-0188.
