Salon weaves itself into community
The shag and the Farrah are gone, but Westport-based Greg & Tony Salon is still here, now celebrating 30 years after adding depth ”“ make that fullness ”“ to the business and staying fresh while staying active in the community.
Tony Sirico said his business was one of the first to be established on the western shore of Westport. Sirico, originally from New Haven, has worked in the salon business for more than 40 years, and he came to Westport in 1961 when he worked for a salon in the era of moon-rocket hairdryers that came with banquette seating.
“Greg and I decided to go into business for ourselves,” said Sirico, co-owner of Greg & Tony. “We bought this piece of property and spent two years developing it.”
The building was a 100-year-old double-porch house that was run by Carmen DiMatteo as an antique shop. The building was originally located at 2 Sylvan Road and was moved to its current address on the corner of Route 1 and Sylvan Road.
“Today business is not as usual,” said Tony. “As a business owner you try to survive. We”™ve been through the ups and the downs. It”™s the people who help us run the business that has kept us here. You could be the most talented person in the world but if you don”™t have a foundation you don”™t have anything.”
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Tony said his wife Kathy, who has run the back office of the business since its start, took an active stance with the community, a great benefit to the business.
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“They weren”™t used to dealing with any commercial businesses over here,” said Kathy Sirico, co-owner of Greg & Tony. “We opened in 1979. There wasn”™t any type of mom-and-pop salon who had any type of office or management and we did. It was myself and a former client who pitched in, Marcia Nishball. We moved here and I knew right from day one that I had to be on the board of the Westport Country Playhouse, the board of the Levitt Pavilion, on the board of the March of Dimes, of the Young Women”™s League. Every single thing that I could possibly be involved in, I was. That made a big, big difference.”
In the ”™80s, Kathy came upon Ouidad, a curly-hair-specific product line and salon in New York City based around hair stylist Ouidad.
“Actually 85 percent of people have curly hair,” said Kathy. “There was a calling for it and there was nothing (on the market). I”™d always ask this young guy (who answered the phone) every time I called if Ouidad taught at salons.” She asked for 14 years.
In September 2002 Kathy got a call from that young guy who had been answering the phone.
“He turned out to be Ouidad”™s husband,” said Kathy. “So she came and she trained our staff and we have a very good business relationship. Greg & Tony”™s is the only certified Oiudad salon in Connecticut. We”™ve become her benchmark affiliate. With these services, all of a sudden we”™re drawing from everywhere, we”™re drawing from Westchester, the Hudson Valley, and even Massachusetts.”
According to Kathy, the salon has over the years had between eight and 45 employees. They currently have 18.
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Kathy said reinventing and adding new levels of depth to the business have kept the salon fresh and relevant.
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Greg retired from the business two years ago and the Sirico family plans for their daughter named September to take over the business.
“She is exactly at this point what we need, we need the technology knowhow, the energy, everything that someone young has,” said Kathy. “We started a re-growth then. You have to be careful; you can get stagnant too, even if your work doesn”™t. Sometimes you have to make way for young blood to come in with new ideas. There are pros and cons to being around forever unless something continues to set you apart.”
Greg & Tony has recently started a blog and plans to expand its capabilities.
“We live here, we”™ve grown here and we care about Westport, truly,” said September Sirico.
September said the salon”™s participation in the community has been one of the most important factors for the business.
“A beauty salon has its importance, but let”™s face it we”™re not neurosurgeons,” said Kathy. “So if you”™re not as active and don”™t participate you”™re setting yourself up to fail.”