Big Thanks
By Gina Woelfel
I recently had time to sit down with Heather Cohen, the owner of b.LUXE Hair and Makeup Studio in Medway, MA...
During our talk, Heather shared ...
“One of my favorite things to do in the fall is to take long walks with my dogs.”
"I hike my dogs most mornings, but our autumn hikes are my favorite. The air is crisp, and my pups love playing in the crunchy leaves." She also shared that it's her time to disconnect from her "salon" brain and focus on other aspects of her life beyond the day-to-day operations of her studio. The beginning of November is the calm before the busy holiday season, and Heather likes to take this time to reflect on how grateful she is for everything in her life.
"Well, I'm blessed with my family, friends, and dogs. I have a tight-knit group of people who really support and love me, and that's allowed me to work as hard as I have."
As a child, Heather's family sometimes depended on their local church and community services to make ends meet. Despite their financial struggles, she never went without or felt ashamed of needing assistance.
“In hindsight,” she explains,
“that helping hand was a blessing in disguise.”
“It it taught me the importance of taking an active role in my community and giving back. I didn't know the significance of it at the time, but now, those acts of kindness speak volumes, and I'm extremely grateful for them. We organize volunteer opportunities at the salon for our staff to participate in, cutting hair for the Franklin Senior Center, packing food and raising money for The Franklin Food Pantry, working with PAWS New England, and donating yearly beauty scholarships to our sister school in Cancun, Mexico, who we visit each year to bring new supplies and teach classes. I'm really impressed with how our staff always joins in. If it's important to our community, it's important to b.LUXE."
During our conversation, we discussed the keys to running a successful beauty salon with over 30 talented and influential women. Heather expressed her gratitude towards her employees: "They're the backbone and heart of b.LUXE. I'm fortunate to have the creative and management teams that I do! They are the best in the business, and their incredible talent and work ethic inspire me to set the bar higher and consistently exceed expectations.
We didn't become Massachusetts' most highly-rated salon just by chance!
We made that happen together."
Welcome to the Medway Mills…
Heather also expressed her gratitude towards John Green, the owner of Medway Mills, where her salon is located. This historic, eight-acre complex is surrounded by wooded grounds, with Chicken Brook flowing directly underneath the salon. "John has done an excellent job preserving the property's natural charm while incorporating beautifully landscaped grounds, stone walls, and flower gardens to welcome visitors to the Mill. This year, he added an upper parking lot to accommodate the overflow. Our customers love the timeless atmosphere here."
Meet our Mill Neighbors
Heather has great affection for the whole Medway Mills family. "The businesses here work well together, and it's a great place to work." Three beauty and wellness businesses located at the Mill have provided Heather with an enormous amount of support and inspiration - Chat Noir Nails, whose owner is Jillian Lustgarten Cohen, Molly's Apothecary, owned by Ann Fisher, and Drift and Oak Yoga, whose owner is Bianca Fantoni. "We share many of the same customers and work together to grow each other's clientele." She praises these businesses for helping women understand their worth and enhancing the community. "To me, they define Girl Power, and I'm so proud of that. I couldn't ask for better women to work alongside."
Visit:
Local Town Pages
Home to the Beauty Beat.
"The Local Town Pages" deserves a HUGE shoutout, too!" exclaims Heather. "We love our BEAUTY BEAT column, and without this community paper, we'd lose our direct line to our customers. "We've really enjoyed these conversations with existing and potential clients, especially those who've never visited our studio. It's been a friendly opportunity to introduce ourselves and connect with so many wonderful people."
So much to be grateful for…
"I need a book to list how many people I'm grateful for!" says Heather. "But, I guess it really just boils down to our clients and our wonderful community. I'm really very, very grateful to our community for bringing b.LUXE into the fold and embracing it the way that they have. Thank you…"
Happy Thanksgiving…
Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours.
The b.LUXE Team
We look forward to seeing you this holiday season!
Visit our website at bLUXE.com or scan the QR code below to see our specially-priced, holiday gift card and our BUY 3, GET 1 FREE Retail Sale!