Room to groom gives salon cutting edge
Bay couple lead unisex hair care trend
THE most electrically-charged offering at Shag High Voltage Hair is undoubtedly its atmosphere. As a cornerstone attribute of their male grooming and unisex hair salon service – a vibey, fast-paced, interactive atmosphere is exactly what new-generation entrepreneurs Fabio Macchia, 33, and Corinne Ward, 31, set out to create when they established their warehouse-sized personal grooming service.
Situated off Lower Valley Road in Port Elizabeth’s trendy Baakens Valley precinct, Shag High Voltage Hair is cutting it as a business based on its three core offerings which include the delivery of professional services, relationship building and pricing.
And as a business at the forefront of a new wave of small business entrepreneurship, especially in the fast-emerging Baakens Valley business node, Shag is steadily debunking the idea that a salon is simply another salon.
The business operates from a massive building that was previously occupied by an industrial firm - giving Shag an exceptionally spacious environment – including a second floor section from where the business can offer additional services.
Spilt into three distinct areas, which include men and women’s hair styling sections and a large reception and relaxation area, complete with couches and a bar area, the interior boasts an eclectic, creative interior design, with decor pieces ranging from a photograph of Al Capone to a cello.
Importantly, and in a break from many traditional business models, Shag has no specific target market and instead, has provided a venue where customers of both genders and all ages can let their hair down before having it groomed.
Alongside its hair styling services for both genders, Shag also has two other important service offerings and revenue streams.
These include event hosting at their premises and more importantly, a highly popular male grooming service that is centred around the on-going, and seemingly growing trend of sporting beards.
This hippster trend, which, according to Macchia started in Europe more two years ago, is still very popular among young men in the Bay, and has not yet shown any signs of waning.
“Beards are still very much in fashion. The range and quality of products that are available to maintain beards have helped to maintain the trend and make them more far more acceptable to women who generally prefer their men to have wellgroomed and maintained beards. And that is where we come in,” Macchia said.
He said the beard maintenance services ensured steady, repeat business from their clients.
“It is not about the money. It is about creating a space where our clients can hang out, where we can build long-term relationships with them and of course, provide the best grooming services.
“Whether it is trimming or crafting a beard or styling a woman’s hair, we are providing a service that impacts directly to how people see and feel about themselves. If one can do that successfully, then one can have a successful business,” he said.
Having previously operated from smaller premises in the Greenacres area, the couple relocated to their new location in January this year.
Ward said: “From a business perspective, relocating made a big difference and has significantly increased our client base. So location and the premises is critical to us.”
“At our previous salon, the size of the premises, among other issues, did not allow us to plan properly, to offer the services we wanted to, in the way we wanted to.
“The new building gave us the chance to visualise the environment and atmosphere we want to create, plus the ability to increase our service offering,” Ward said.
Expansion plans for the business included extending business hours, acquiring a liquor licence to support their event ventures and the introduction of a tattoo service.
The couple relies on a successful mix of word-of-mouth and social media to market their services.