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Mom, Daughters Run Sage Salon And Spa Wisely

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By TODD LESKANIC, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 29, 2007

LAND O' LAKES - Nancy Gregory and her two daughters had the knowledge to open an upscale salon.

Mom was an experienced business owner; Jen, 27, had the public relations and sales background; Jessica, 23, was the hair and makeup wizard.

But could they get along as well as co-workers as they do as a family?

The experiment began three weeks ago when the Gregorys opened Sage Salon & Spa in the Arbor Square shopping center.

Thus far, the trio is happy to report no major family disagreements.

'We each have our own sandbox and everyone has stayed in their own,' Nancy Gregory said. 'I think that's why it's working.'

Business has been better than expected, too. The salon's proximity to a half-dozen burgeoning residential communities and its use of Aveda products are at least partially responsible for that.

Aveda manufactures a line of hair, skin and health products using natural, plant-based ingredients. The company, a subsidiary of Estee Lauder, is known for its support of environmental and socially responsible causes.

Sage is the first salon in Pasco County to offer the Aveda line, a fact the fledgling business has cashed in on.

'I had one lady here this morning, she saw the Aveda sign and came in,' Jen Gregory said. 'She had had her hair done in an Aveda salon in Seattle, so we called the salon there and got the formula they used to color her hair.'

The idea for the salon first came to the Gregorys during Jessica's nine months at the Aveda Institute in St. Petersburg. She graduated from the beauty school in February 2005.

Nancy Gregory, a longtime owner of UPS stores in the Tampa area, was ready to try something different, as was Jen, then a sales manager for the Tampa Convention Center.

After her graduation, Jessica spent 18 months working at a well-known salon on South Beach in Miami. As the plan for the Pasco salon crystallized, Jessica returned to the Bay area, happy to put aside working with celebrity and high-fashion clients for the prospect of a family-run business.

'I actually thought I'd want to do that, but when I got into it, I was like, you know, this isn't what I expected it to be,' she said.

The family salon 'is a little more consistent and you're able to develop relationships with your clients.'

The services offered at Sage include hair cuts and colors, massages, facials and body treatments. The goal is to give customers a complete salon experience, the Gregorys said.

The decor of the 1,800-square-foot salon is conducive to that goal. It's painted in light-colored tones with a light wood-grain floor. A relaxing scent is immediately discernable - a scented candle burns in the front parlor.

The perks of an upscale salon have already attracted two regulars. One of them, Helen Hainbach, was there Friday having her hair highlighted, washed and blown dry. She has a standing appointment each Friday.

'I just feel the service pulls me to this salon,' Hainbach said. 'I wouldn't go anywhere else.'

Reporter Todd Leskanic can be reached at (352) 521-3156 or tleskanic@tampatrib.com.

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