Join us for Part 1 of our docuseries with Gabby and Franky, two first-time salon owners in Washington, D.C., as they open Corte—sharing the real challenges, surprises, and lessons of building a salon from the ground up.

👀Watch this episode on YouTube to see their salon!

Corte is being built to be a space where clients feel at home and stylists feel supported. Gabby and Franky aim for their salon to be recognized for its precision cutting, creativity, and collaboration, while cultivating a culture of leadership, education, and comfort for both guests and their team.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS:

🔅Opening a salon requires patience with permits and inspections—timelines often extend far beyond expectations.

🔅Budget more than you think you’ll need; cushion funds for rent, construction, and delays are critical.

🔅Building strong relationships with landlords, contractors, and architects can save time, money, and stress.

🔅Designing for stylist comfort and workflow—like wide walkways and real break rooms—pays off in staff satisfaction.

🔅Using downtime wisely (like training in leadership) can prepare you for managing a team before the doors open.

🔅Don’t shy away from the process—if you feel called to salon ownership, the rewards outweigh the challenges.

👉Follow Corte on Instagram

📱Follow Gabby on Instagram

📱Follow Franky on Instagram

The Hairdresser Strong Show is all about Salon Owners, Rising Stylists, and Seasoned Stylists sharing their experiences, successes, failures, and advice to inform, educate, and empower their Fellow Hairdresser. We won’t stop until we are all: Hairdresser Strong.

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The views and opinions of our guests are theirs and important to hear. Each guest's views and opinions are their own and we aim to bring you diverse perspectives, career paths and thoughts about the craft and industry so you can become Hairdresser Strong! They do not necessarily reflect the positions of HairdresserStrong.com.