Business: Salon Anovin
Address: 176 S. Western Ave., Carpentersville
Website/phone: www.salonanovin.com; 847-428-4848
Owner: Kate Volarath
Years in business: 9
What does this business do? “Salon Anovin is a hair salon and nail spa. We do everything hair, from balayage to keratin treatments to hair cuts. And we do all things nails, from dip powder to gel to pedicures. We also do head-to-toe waxing and eyelash extensions.”
How many workers do you employ? 10
What was the impetus for starting this business? “The desire to learn new things. I’m one of those crazy girls who’s always a student. I love challenges, I love setting goals and going for it. I wanted to see if I can live the American dream. I wanted a challenge for myself, ‘can you do it?’ and prove to my parents … to say, ‘Hey Mom and Dad, we came here as refugees, not speaking a word of English.” That’s what drives me.”
What is the best thing about being located in Carpentersville? “One of the best things is we are in front of (Spring Hill) Mall. Also, the mayor of the town comes here. That’s pretty cool. He came here and said, ‘I want you to cut my hair.’ And he’s been a great customer ever since.”
What is the biggest challenge about being located in Carpentersville? “The biggest challenge would be fact that we have clients come from all over, so it’s a bit of a far drive for them. I have lots of clients from different neighborhoods in Chicago that come all the way out here. I have clients from Ohio, Indiana, you name it. In the winter, I’ve had some clients say, ‘Kate, I love you but I will see you in the spring.’ And they do. That’s what I love about this … they do come back in the spring and summer. And when they do, they make it a point to go to the neighborhood businesses.”
What is the meaning of your shop’s name? “It’s named after my three kids. The ‘A’ is for Anyssa, the ‘NO’ is for Nolyanne, and the ‘VIN’ is from Nevin. They are my life.”
What is the most popular service you provide? “Haircut. We are known for our haircuts. It is my cup of tea. I love the carving and the face-framing.”
What makes you stand out? “My ability to design the haircut and color to fit the client’s features. I’m not a hair cutter, I’m a hair designer. That’s what makes me who I am.”
What is the thing you most like to do as part of your business? “To me, we touch people’s lives. That’s what makes it so special. I love that personal connection. I cry with my clients, I laugh with them. I go through heartaches with them. That personal touch I love so much. And I think that’s what I’m most passionate about.”
What is your least favorite thing to do? “Manage. That is not my cup of tea. I’m the type who’s a neat freak. I can be anal. I can be a perfectionist. Those types of people should not govern people or they can get really mean. I want to be a mentor. I don’t want to be boss. That’s why I have my salon manager. So I get to be the artist.”
What is the best thing about owning your own business? “I get to give people jobs. Sometimes I go home and think, ‘Little Miss Refugee who didn’t speak a word of English is able to give people jobs.’ That’s what makes it so rewarding. I’m making my parents proud that we get to live the American dream and I have the ability to give my kids a better lifestyle.”
Tell us about the most memorable customer you had and what made them so? I’ve got a few. Once I received a phone call from a client who moved to Seattle. She called me and said, ‘Kate, I’m with the hairstylist. What’s that thing you do with my hair?’ and then she handed the phone to her. She called just so I could tell her stylist what I did to her hair. That’s amazing to me. I have another client from Ohio who drives here with her daughter and they make a weekend out of it. They come at 9 in the morning to get their hair done. I have a client who lives in Colorado and every time she comes home to visit, I’m one of her stops. That’s what makes me proud … clients could go elsewhere but they still come back.”
What is the biggest misconception about your business? “One misconception is that hair stylists are high school dropouts. Another is that we’re just hair cutters. We’re not. We’re more than that. We touch people’s lives. We design haircuts and hair colors that fit people so perfectly. The industry is not what it used to be. People look to us as hair doctors, if you will. We solve so many problems with hair. That’s how it’s evolved. It’s not just about covering grays anymore. People look up to hair stylists to perform miracles on their hair. It wasn’t that way years ago. We’re able to transform dry hair into beautiful, flowing hair. Hairstylists love the art of hair. And nowadays, the money is there to be made in this industry. You can work a New York fashion show. You can work with celebrities. There are all these avenues you can go if you want to.”
How has your business changed over the years? “We expanded and renovated and now we have room to implement monthly events we’re calling “New You” where we focus on beauty techniques.
That’s something we do that I think sets us apart. In January, we did a New Year kickoff and we had stations set up — makeup, eyelash extension demos, nails. We had champagne and hors d’oeuvres. We’re planning a blow-drying class where we’ll have clients come in with their own blow dryers and products and we’ll guide them on the techniques to do it correctly. We’re teaching them how to do their own hair. The expansion — we doubled our size — also made it so I could have more room to offer a place where girlfriends and mothers and daughters can come in and get their hair done or get pedicures and we can pour them a glass of wine and talk. There are so many clients who come in after a hard day’s work and just want to sit back and relax. The original salon was too small. That’s why I did the expansion. It’s my love for pampering clients. It’s a dream come true for me to be able to offer that to the neighborhood.”
What do you wish someone had told you before you started? “That it’s going to take all your time and how hard it is to run a business. Wow. I wish someone said, ‘Kate, if you think running a business you’re going to have all the time in the world to do whatever you want, you are dead wrong. It takes someone special to be able to run a business and run it well. I admire anyone who can do it. I look at Spa Bleu in West Dundee and think, ‘Wow, they’ve got two locations.’ And my fellow Carpentersville business owner Julie Bevel from Fox River Spa & Salon recently opened her second. I think, ‘High five and hats off to them.’ I know how hard it is. It takes a lot of sacrifice in every way … your family, your time, your ability to have a Saturday off.”
Erin Sauder is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
