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Email this articleLuxury market spurs high-end hair salons
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By KATIE ARCIERI
A haircut by Annapolis stylist Luc Fouquet will cost you $98 and a month's wait.
Meanwhile, at Halo, a 500-square-foot boutique salon on West Street, fashionistas can plunk down $2,000 for a head of hair extensions.
And the price tag for full golden highlights is $110 "and up" at Ruby, the latest in a line of upscale hair salons in Annapolis.
The emergence of Ruby's reflects the area's growing wealth and the city's market for those willing to pay for glamor. When an Aveda day spa and salon called Varuna opens at the $250 million Park Place development on inner West Street in August, there will be three high-end salons within about two city blocks.
"I think we're just filling in a niche in Annapolis," said Matt Hudson, co-owner of the upscale hair salon Hudson & Fouquet on West Street, where Mr. Fouquet is in high demand. "The town in general has gotten a lot more sophisticated."
Sophisticated tastes have led to higher costs for a fashionable coif in Annapolis - much higher than the national median price of $42 for a haircut last year, according to the Professional Beauty Association.
Over the past decade, business owners have responded by opening a number of upscale fashion boutiques and salons.
Steve and Kelly Fisher started the upscale Glow salon on Housely Road in 1999 to meet that demand.
"There was really nothing like that around here," said Mr. Fisher, who sports an edgy hairstyle with spiky blond highlights. "You did have to go into your cities to find something a bit more chic and urban."
They opened Ruby - named after their 4-year-old daughter - on Monticello Avenue last fall to continue their pursuit of that market.
The couple expects business to increase once Park Place opens and more wealthy people move in.
"They obviously did mass research for what this area is capable of facilitating," Mr. Fisher said of the Park Place developers. "You can't go wrong."
Allison Orange, owner of the Halo salon on West Street, didn't go wrong when she jumped out of the day spa scene to open a business specializing in color and hair extensions. Today, customers who want luxurious long hair temporarily are fueling business, she said.
"People are looking for more specialties here, they are getting a lot more picky," said Ms. Orange, who has used her hair skills on pop girl group Danity Kane, punk band Good Charlotte and singer Michelle Branch. "I think beauty is always going to be important."
When the Annapolis Day Spa and salon moved from Parole to the Loews Annapolis Hotel on West Street a year-and-a-half ago, business increased dramatically, owner Joan Courtney said. Highlights continue to be a mainstay for bridal parties and professional women, she said.
"I just think that people do it because it adds a little pizzazz to their look," she said.
Ruby features aqua blue walls, modern white couches, and soft lounge music in the background. Upstairs, customers arrive in the cutting area or ascend to the third floor to read a magazine or watch haircuts below.
The ethereal environment can be traced to a roughly $600,000 renovation by the Fishers, who bought the inconspicuous vacant building off West Street in 2004. A former model who still maintains the look, Ms. Fisher said Ruby was designed to give customers a more intimate environment.
While the Annapolis hair market is catering to an upscale clientele, Ms. Fisher said Ruby markets itself to a diverse group of people with varying incomes.
"I like the mix of all different kinds of people, to teenagers to all my favorite 30 and 40 year olds to my older clientele," Ms. Fisher said.
Sian Madden, who's originally from South Africa and moved here eight years ago, appreciates Ruby's attention to detail. For example, Mr. Fisher walks downstairs to greet her and doesn't pass her from one person to the next for a cut and color.
"With Steve, it's a continuous process," she said.
Ms. Madden spends between $160 and $170 for highlights and a cut, services that she says are well worth the price.
"It's probably the best investment you can do as a woman to get your hair cut, styled and colored properly," she said.
Source: Capital OnlineAll rights reserved.