Fashion Stores
Bob + Paige II
Bob + Paige has opened a second salon just minutes from its original. Now, admittedly, I know nothing about what it takes to run a successful business, but you would think once one conquers a neighbourhood, he or she would move onto the next. But co-owner Violet tells me that was never the intention.
"We were actually hoping to get a spot next door upstairs," she tells me as we sit by the gorgeous bay windows in the new Danforth space. Violet and her business partner, Frank, opened the first Bob + Paige in 2009 at Danforth and Chester. Then, eight weeks ago, came the second--a brighter, larger space just a couple blocks west.
"We were literally running out of space," Violet says. "There were not enough chairs and too many personalities in one small space."
"But we wanted to keep that 'boutique' feel," she continues. "So rather than move to a larger place, we wanted to create a sort of expansion."
The new Bob + Paige isn't exactly a carbon copy of the old, and has a much more open, modern feel. Still, there are vintage touches throughout including old wooden crates hiding toilet paper in the bathroom and a rusted shopping cart filled with ornaments for the holidays.
"Frank is the entrepreneur of the team," Violet says when I ask how the salon got its start. "I'm just the hard worker."
Violet says that she and Frank met working at a salon in Thornhill, and Frank eventually approached her with the idea of opening their own place. Despite first-time customers calling in asking for a cut or colour by senior stylist "Bob" or "Paige," you'll find no one at either salon by that name.
"They're names of haircuts," Violet says, and I suddenly feel very daft. "We didn't want to use our names; we're a team, really."
Violet, who is currently wearing an electric, very Vidal-esque pageboy cut, says they do anything and everything at the salon(s), from trendy teen cuts, to "yummy mummies," and sophisticated businesswomen. "Each stylist," she says, some of whom have moved to the new salon and some have stayed at the old, "has their own style."
Cuts at Bob + Paige range from $50-$70 depending on the stylist ($35-$45 for men), and colour, which is determined by length, ranges from $70-$90 for a full head of colour and $110-$120 for highlights.
Photos by Jesse Milns
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Love you,
Tatyana
Love the new bob + Paige salon
good luck!!!!!!!!!
tatyana