Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Lee and Eva Mustafai.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
We met at our previous salon almost 15 years ago. We had the same interests in continuing education and traveled well together. Over the years we had traveled to NY, LA, Barcelona, London, and more too numerous classes. When the time came where we were looking for something new and what our next steps would be we decided to go on this crazy adventure of opening our own salon. A salon that was education driven by our staff and ourselves with a culture that is based on teamwork and learning. Six years later with local and national recognition under our belt, here we are!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There are always struggles when owning your business, but the struggles are part of what builds your business. Hiring the right people that believe in the same mission and support the culture of your brand. Building your team to have the tools to create and grow. Making the right decisions in marketing, promotions, and advertising. Getting on the social media wagon was a big challenge. Especially over the past few years, it has become more critical to the business.
Salon Eva Michelle – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Salon Eva Michelle is a full-service hair salon with an emphasis on continual education for ourselves and our clients. We believe consistent learning opportunities are a part of the staff’s professional growth and are important in the services we deliver. Monthly education sessions (and sometimes more) keep our team current with trends, styles, and techniques. As a result, we’re most notably known for the quality of the haircuts and color services we provide, which have been acknowledged as “the best” for both categories in local publications and national. Some of these are highlighted below. While we’re extremely grateful for these awards, what we’re most proud of is seeing our commitment to education extend beyond the classroom. The collaboration and teamwork of our staff in the salon have resulted in higher quality services and greater customer satisfaction. We’re also always striving to do things that are a little different. For example, #HairResQ is one concept we’ve been slowing growing which is essentially a pop-up salon model. We also continue to give back to our community being involved in HairRaising for Boston Children’s Hospital as well as raising money for our Anniversary parties for numerous organizations.
2017 Best of Boston Best Women’s Haircut – Boston Magazine
2017 Boston’s Best Women’s Haircut – Improper Bostonian
2016 Best Hair Salon – Boston Fashion Awards
2015 Boston’s Best Hair Color – Improper Salon
2015 Best Haircut – Allure Magazine
2015 Best Cut and Color – Allure Magazine
2015 Beauty Black Book – Instyle Magazine
2014 Best of Boston Best Women’s Haircut – Boston Magazine
2014 Best Hair Salon Readers’ Choice – Boston Magazine
2014 Boston’s Best Hair Salon – Improper Bostonian
2013 Best Hair Salon Readers’ Choice – Boston Magazine
2012 Best of Boston Best Women’s Haircut – Boston Magazine
2012 Best Women’s Haircut – The Boston Pheonix
2012 Players – Stuff@Night
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Along with all our accolades, the proudest moment would have to be successfully developing our Designers in Training through our own Education Program. Our commitment to sharing our knowledge has provided steady salon growth over the years. The perseverance and dedication of these Designers are reflected in their work and we are so proud to witness their continued growth and success. We have successfully trained 4 in the last 6 years and couldn’t be more proud to see them succeed. Additionally, this was achieved while maintaining our company’s mission and culture.
In 2015 we developed our own Clarifying Shampoo. A low ph cleansing shampoo that rids the hair of product and environmental build-up. We believe that color should be applied to clean hair to get the best optimal results. Creating our own product was definitely a moment to be proud of.
We are also very proud of the charitable works we do to support foundations and our community. We have been a part of HairRaising for Boston Children’s Hospital since we opened and continue to be a part of it every year. Michelle has also been a committee member for HairRaising for 3 years now. We also celebrate our big anniversaries raising money for organizations through services and silent auctions. Over the years we have raised over $50,000.
HairRaising – Boston Children’s Hospital
Opening Party – Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
1 year Anniversary – National Breast Cancer Foundation
3 Year Anniversary – Team IMPACT
5 Year Anniversary – Joseph Middlemiss Big Heart Foundation
Pricing:
- Haircuts $75-$250 and up
- Color $80-$300 and up
- Blow Outs $50-$75 and up
Contact Info:
- Address: 118 Newbury Street , 2nd FL
Boston, MA 02116 - Website: www.salonevamichelle.com
- Phone: 617.262.8118
- Email: info@salonevamichelle.com
- Instagram: @SalonEM_boston
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/salonevamichelle/
- Twitter: @SalonEM_boston
- Other: Twitter @SalonEM_boston
Image Credit:
Eric Levin, Elevin Studios
Celso Enrique, Celso Enrique Studios
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
