Business Profile: Artistix Salon

, owned by Christine Rooney, is not only a great place to go for H-F residents in search of the perfect haircut, but also for any H-F community members interested in learning to become a hairstylist. Recently, Rooney and I spoke about her salon, the economy and some of her favorite H-F places to frequent.

How long have you been open in Homewood? 

We opened Artistix Salon in the Spring of 2004

Why did you open your salon? 

I wanted to have a salon that Hairstylists could be employed and be part of a team (a majority of salons in Homewood-Flossmor area are "chair rental" salons where every service provider is an "independent" contractor). My goal was to provide a work environment that would encourage personal and professional growth through education and experience. I wanted to offer hairstylists a salon that would continue to stay involved in the industry education and style events throughout the year. 

We also have an internship program where students at beauty schools can complete their final 250 hours of training in our salon. Our assistants go through a training program to become future stylists.  We love to share ideas and techniques with each other and the entire staff is involved in teaching assistants and junior hairstylists as well.

I also wanted to bring together a team of creative hairstylists that were passionate about hair. Service providers that enjoy their work and believe in excellent customer service. 

Why did you choose to have your salon in Homewood-Flossmoor?

I have been a hairdresser in the Homewood-Flossmoor area since 1985.  As a hairstylist, my client base was from H-F and the surrounding areas. I lived in Homewood for many years and  I have many family members and friends in the area. It is a great community to be a part of.  

Best thing your salon offers to the community?

We offer the community a salon that they can go to for expert services and great customer service. We offer an environment where customers feel comfortable and know that they are appreciated. Our customers can also feel confident that any services they have done are being provided by well trained professionals that only use the highest quality products to support our clients needs.

Where are your favorite places to eat and shop in H-F? 

We order out all the time. We have a drawer at the salon with menus from our local restaurants and the top picks are: Starbucks (daily), Grady's Grille, Sweet Annie's Bakery, Aurellios Pizza, Flossmoor Station, oh and of course Dairy Queen in the summer. Shopping: we love Art4Soul, Super Loot, Homewood Florist, Her Closet and Bella Vita. All of our salon (and my home) appliances are from Lorenze.

What's your stance on school District 153's referendum? 

We (at Artistix Salon) are all very supportive of our teachers and our schools and we stand behind our schools. We offer discounts and have special promotions for teachers and school employees at different times throughout the year.

Has the economy affected business? If so are things picking up? 

The economy has not seemed to affect our business much. We are always growing, our team of stylists has grown and we have new clients come in all the time. Some of our clients stretched out their time between appointments, but we have worked with them to help them keep their beauty within budget. Our referral program has helped clients save money and helped our business grow, so it was a win-win for all.  Our clients also watch for product promotions, and then they "stock up" which helps them save throughout the year.

 Any current deals? 

• New clients that come to the salon each receive a welcome package that includes several coupons for future services as well as coupons to use for products. 
• We also have a referral program. New clients that are referred to our salon receive $10 off their first visit and the client that referred them also receives $10 salon credit for their next appointment.
• During the month of April we will be having our 1,2,3 promotion for all Pureology Products.  one product gets 10 percent discount, second product gets a 20 percent discount and the third product gets a 30 percent discount.  This is our most popular promotion.

You can learn more about Artistix Salon, their programs and their deals by visting their website.