Robert Anthony Hair Designers

We had the joy of sitting down with Margie the owner of Robert Anthony Hair Designs and her right-hand gal, Jess, the salon manager. Sitting across the break room table donning our patterned masks we chatted about how much has changed, and about how much has stayed the same. 

Margie has been in the industry for 30 years and in two states. As an owner of Robert Anthony for the past 26 years, there are three clear themes to Margie’s success. A family-oriented salon culture, consistent education, and open communication. 

Education 

Education can be one of the best ways to ensure that your salon is always evolving. It can also be a great point of advertisement for your salon! Jess explained that each time their salon takes part in an education class they always take time to communicate with customers the classes they are taking t via social media. They have found that customers get excited to see that their stylist is learning new techniques and it makes for great conversation when they come back to the salon! 

Retail 

Tackling retail goals can be tricky as a salon owner. Margie’s advice? Have your stylists set their own goals. Jess sits down with the stylists each month to check in and set new retail goals. They have conversations about where they are, and where they hope to be. They find that having the stylists set their own goals makes it more likely that they meet them month over month! 

 During the shutdown, Robert Anthony continued to sell retail on a limited basis, doing two large curbside pickup sales. Keeping stylists involved was an important part of this plan as Margie and Jess had each stylist pick a favorite product and talk about its benefits in a short video– we LOVE this idea. Having stylists demonstrate the benefits of a product or do an easy styling video is always a great way to keep clients thinking about retail products between appointments! 

Advice for Future Salon Owners 

When asked if she had any advice for future salon owners, Margie had two things that came to mind. The first is to always show gratitude to your team. Jess pointed out that Margie is always the first one to compliment her stylists' work, and thank them as they leave in the evening. The piece of advice second, “I would tell someone to go for their dreams – but know there are bumps in the road. I am only here 26 years later because I am doing what I love.”

 Thank you Robert Anthony Hair Design for opening up your stunning salon to us!