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ELEMENTS OF STYLE SALON AND DAY SPA Plainfield salon a family enterprise Type of business:
salon, day spa Location: 330 E. Main St., Plainfield Phone: 839-0899 E-mail: jbmetzger@tds.net
Founded: September 2008
Owner: Beth Metzger
Owner’s background: Metzger, 54, has been a hairdresser for 35 years. She owned her own salon in a small town west of Fort
Wayne for more than 30 years until retiring about a year ago and moving to Heritage Lake, west of Danville.
Why started business: Metzger’s 26-year-old daughter, Jill Dennis, also is a hairstylist, and they have talked for years about
opening a salon together. So they did. Metzger purchased an existing salon, and Dennis and her friend Christine MacOwan manage
it.
Competitive advantage: Metzger said when she and her husband renovated the building they wanted to create an atmosphere where
clients would feel warm and welcome. To that end, she instructs her staff of five to be friendly and provide service above
and beyond what customers expect. She also encourages her stylists to take continuing-education classes.
“We pay attention to the little details and offer competitive prices,” Metzger said. “We’re trying to always bring our ‘A’
game when we come to work and we offer things they aren’t going to get at just any salon.”
Startup cost: $400,000
Funding source: retirement savings
Projected first-year revenue: $400,000
Potential problem and contingency plan: The economy is a challenge, as it is for any business, but Metzger said the salon
is trying to combat the difficult times by offering good deals that give clients value for their dollar.
She said she has not had and does not foresee any other potential problems.
First-year goal: She wants to add more stylists and another full-time massage therapist. Right now she has three hair stylists,
one message therapist and an esthetician (someone who does facials and waxing). Metzger said she’d also like to market the
salon more aggressively and get a reputation in the area for being a good salon that people like to visit.
Five-year vision: Metzger said in five years she’d like to still offer the public the best service possible. She also said
she hoped by that time her daughter and Dennis would be part owners.
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