SCARLET SALON A new hair salon opened on Telegraph Avenue on Jan. 2. The salon is co-owned by four stylists, with two additional stylists on board. Co-owners Kristal Povich, Hannah Beeson, Universe Walker and Brittany McGowen were all trained at Festoon, which closed in Berkeley in June and were certified by the Devachan Salon New York. The grand opening of the salon was held on Feb. 15 from 3-7 p.m. with a ribbon-cutting ceremony by the Berkeley Chamber and Mayor Jesse Arreguín. A raffle and product giveaways were included in the celebration.
“We have chosen Berkeley as it is the city where we, the four owners, have worked for the past five to ten years together and where we have built our client base, said Beeson. “We’ve all grown to love Berkeley as a city and are so happy to be part of the small business community here and look forward to being part of it for many years to come.”
The four owners. chose the location because they fell in love with the space as soon as they saw it. The building was built in 1933 and was designed by architect William Isaac Garren. The property used to be a Persian rug shop. The owner, Ali Mohammad and his wife Marion Carpenter Yazdi lived in an apartment upstairs. Following that, the building served many design-oriented businesses, including Lila’s Antiques, Robert Bruce of Berkeley and Gallery Extrana/Emily The Strange.
The concept of Scarlet Salon was born from a shared vision of creating a space where all things hair, art, music and fashion could come together and inspire the owners and clients alike. They spent many years together at an education-driven salon that felt like family and wanted to carry that tradition on. “We invite everyone in the community to come and experience our services surrounded by the beauty of the architecture of our salon located within the walls of this 1930’s Historic Landmark,” Beeson said. Scarlet Salon, 510-280-5725. Hours are Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Connect on Facebook and Instagram
REUSE ARTS & CRAFTS Recycle. Reinvent. Reuse. This is the tagline for the new business just opened by Frida Godoy in the space formerly occupied by Brent’s Unique Shop on San Pablo Avenue. Godoy, originally from Mexico City, has been designing arts and crafts out of recycled materials since she was a young girl. The shop, which opened on Jan. 18, sells art pieces and functional crafts that are made from locally-produced recycled and disposable materials. In addition, classes will be offered and donations of recyclable materials are accepted. Godoy said it took two years to find the best site for her business that was also affordable. “My business is all about helping the planet and how we can give a second life to what is rubbish for others, even making works of art with some of it! Berkeley felt like the best place for me to open my business. The community understands my values and gives me great feedback and support,” Godoy said. Reuse Arts & Crafts, 1824 San Pablo Ave. (near Hearst), Berkeley. Phone: 510-967-3324. Open daily 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
LACQUERBAR The nail salon on Fourth Street closed its doors on Fourth Street on Oct. 31 but has partnered with the Aveda Institute, the educational arm of the brand, to create the Lacquerbar U x Aveda Nail Artistry Program.
Lacquerbar is a nail beauty brand that empowers nail technicians to build long term money-making careers. The original intent of Lacquerbar was to build experiential nail salons focused on nail artistry and nail technician advocacy. Once Lacquerbar opened its first salon on Fourth Street, owner and founder Heli Rodriguez Prilliman realized the pipeline for highly skilled nail artists was incredibly small. She attributed this in part to the high cost of living in Berkeley. “Because of these variables, we never had enough nail technicians on staff to support the location on Fourth Street. So we pivoted the business to focus on educating and training the next generation of nail artists with our online school, Lacquerbar U,” Rodriguez Prilliman said. She has set up a student salon inside Aveda’s San Jose location and will launch a second location in San Francisco in May 2020.There are no plans to launch a student salon in Berkeley. Lacquerbar, 2040 Fourth St., Berkeley. Phone: 510-280-5929. Connect on Instagram
If you’re a Berkeley business with news to share, or you’ve noticed a new or closing business in Berkeley, email editors@berkeleyside.com. Read more Shop Talk columns. Catch up with food- and drink-related business news on Nosh.
