Down to Business: Naperville man finds his niche as owner of four Frank Gironda Salon & Spa locations
Written by admin on May 22, 2024
Business: Frank Gironda Salon & Spa
Address: 3224 Route 59 and 1212 Naper Blvd., Naperville
Phone/website: 630-904-3600, www.frankgironda.com
Owner: Chris Damolaris, 58, of Napervillle
Years in business: 19
What does your business do? “Hair services and nail services in this salon (on Route 59). The Wheaton location is nails, facials, waxing, all that kind of stuff, hair services. … I have four locations. There’s another in Naperville at Naper Boulevard and 75th. … Fourth one is in downtown Glen Ellyn,” Damolaris said.
Who is Frank Gironda? “Frank Gironda (salon) has been around 48 years in Naperville. I bought Frank out in 2005. Frank’s retired now.”
What’s your background? “I grew up in Elmhurst. I did a lot of things. Worked in a bank. Construction. Painting houses. My two neighbors — one was a barber, the other a beautician — (got me into the business). I was 22, went to beauty school in Villa Park. I graduated, then started looking for a salon. … I was at a health club (when) someone said, ‘That guy over there owns a salon.’ I started working for Brian Michael.
“A few years later, he asked if I wanted to buy his salon. … We had that a few years, opened a new one at (Route) 59 and 87th. Added another. We had three Brian Michael salons, 80 employees. … Frank and I were friendly competitors. … Frank said, ‘Do you want to take over mine?’ … Frank had three salons (then).”
Was that difficult? “We had different cultures in the salons. Frank had separate cutters and separate colorists. Brian Michael (employees) did everything.”
How did you resolve that? “I knew I wanted everyone to do everything. It took a couple years. I slowly introduced it to them.”
What sets you apart? “Frank Gironda is a big education salon. … For the state, you have to renew your hours every year. We bring in six to seven classes a year. We’ve done that for years.”
What impact has the pandemic had on your business? “We were down for three months. What ended up happening in our industry was they were all doing hair at home. Clients came to their houses. A lot of people in the industry started going to booth rental. … They want to go to the booths, think they’re going to make it. But you have to do your own towels, buy your own supplies, getting phone calls left and right. … They have no help. They don’t really evaluate the money situation. … We lost about 25 stylists. We’re still feeling the hit.”
What about the future? “To be honest, this big salon model is going away. What’s happened is right before COVID-19, the spa (business) started changing. Med spas. Botox. Filler. Lasers. All the other stuff. You can’t do laser or Botox without a doctor. The spa industry, in my view, has been carved out. They have all these different places. It changed the spa industry. The spa industry started shrinking.”
Why stay in the business? “I like being busy. A hairdresser can change someone’s day, make them feel great. You’re a psychiatrist. You hear a lot. I like the fact that you can make people happy. It’s a fun industry. … Hairstyles are always changing, and they always come back. It’s like clothes. It all rotates around.”
What has changed? “Color services have become very big in salons. Thirty percent are men.”
Where do you find stylists? “Recruit at beauty schools. You’re looking for someone who’s passionate. The other stuff you can teach. … We teach them Frank Gironda’s haircut, Frank Gironda’s customer service.”
How are employees paid? “They get paid by commission or hourly.”
What does a haircut cost? “We start at $35, can go up to $80 or $90.”
Why do salons sell shampoo and conditioner? “The reason why retail gets pushed in salons is you make more money on retail than you would on a service. That’s why a salon will try to sell retail (products).”
What misconceptions do people have? “They think hairdressers can’t make money. They can make a good living. The effort you put in is the effort you get out.”
What’s your advice for someone starting a business? “You need to take the chance. Investigate. Do your due diligence. Make sure it can work and don’t give up. It’s an effort. … When I opened my second salon, I went to six banks before I got a loan.”
Steve Metsch is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun. If you know of a business you’d like to see to profiled in Down to Business, contact Steve Metsch at metschmsfl@yahoo.com.
