The old saying, “Teamwork
makes the dream work,” could very well be the motto of Encore Tanning,
Hair & Nails. Becky Balmer, with the help of her friend Jim Dieter,
started a one-unit tanning salon in Corning, NY, and with the help of their
friend, Anne D’Ulisse, the three took the salon to a whole new level – an
all-inclusive facility with UV and sunless tanning, plus hair and nail
services. Their “encore” performance was well received by the
crowd in Corning, Painted Post and the surrounding areas, earning the three
many “bravos.” After a successful first year in business, Becky
and Anne are considering opening another salon, right after they add more
equipment to their first. It’s a growing business, after all!
Crisis Becomes Opportunity
Sometimes, opportunity presents itself in unique ways. Take Becky Balmer,
for example – after 23 years of dedication in the I.T. field, she
became yet another victim of corporate downsizing and found herself out
of a job. Becky was suddenly faced with the task of finding a new way to
earn a living; fortunately, she’s the type of person who can turn
a crisis into an opportunity. “I have been a tanner all my life – I’m
not happy without a tan,” said Becky. “I had become interested
in sunless tanning around that time, and I fell in love with the results
I received from the MagicTan sunless spray booth. I loved it so much that
I decided to open a salon – Sun Kissed Mist – in October 2003
with just one MagicTan booth, and we did over 2,000 spray tans in our first
year! I became a MagicTan distributor one year later.”
While business at her one-unit salon was good, Becky yearned for something
bigger … and better. Her plan was to eventually open three Sun Kissed
Mist salons, but that all changed after she got to know one of her tanners,
Anne D’Ulisse. “Anne is a professor at the college here in town,
and she was one of our very first sunless tanning clients,” Becky
explained. “She enjoyed our salon and her tanning results so much
that she approached me and said she had always wanted a salon of her own,
and suggested we join forces. Anne’s idea of the perfect salon included
some spa-type services, and many of Becky’s clients suggested she
add hair, nails and UV tanning, so the ladies combined their ideas to come
up with Encore Tanning, Hair & Nails. “After our first salon,
we looked at this as our encore performance, which is how we came up with
the name,” Becky added.
Tanning, Hair & Nails … and Customer
Service
Encore Tanning, Hair & Nails opened in March 2006 in a new building
that was a far cry from the 650 square feet of Becky’s previous salon.
The business is located in a 3,700 square-foot space they lease in a popular
shopping plaza. To give the salon a relaxed atmosphere, the three business
partners decorated Encore with a tropical motif, utilizing the beach-themed
Tanwalls modular wall system with palm trees and other assorted decorations.
There are seven tanning units – two Heartland Ovation, two Heartland
Encore, an ETS SunDome booth and an ETS Solaris, in addition to a MagicTan
sunless spray booth. When it comes to lotions, the salon exclusively sells
Designer Skin and MagicTan products, and operates using the Helios software
system.
In addition to tanning, Encore diversifies its services with four hairstylists,
three of which also offer manicures and pedicures, as well as airbrush
tattooing. “These services have been an excellent way to not only
bring in new clients but also boost our revenue during the off-peak tanning
months,” added Jim Dieter.
Of everything it has to offer tanners, Encore’s staff prides itself
on customer service. Take for example the salon’s Student Policy,
which educates its clients about the proper methods of indoor tanning. “Anyone
14-17 is allowed to tan once a day in the state of New York, but our clients
in that age group can only tan once every other day,” Jim explained. “We’ve
lost some clients over this, but we believe that tanning is best done in
moderation, and we’re able to teach that by adhering to this policy.
The parents of our teenaged clients appreciate that we do this.”
A Popular Place
Encore is a popular place for many in the Corning-Painted Post area, thanks
to the promotional efforts of its owners. The salon’s referral program
has been an effective way for Becky, Jim and Anne to utilize all the word-of-mouth
advertising that Encore receives. “Once someone becomes a client,
they get several referral cards to give their friends and family,” Becky
explained. “For every person who comes in with the card and becomes
a member, the person who refers them receives a $5 tanning credit to their
account, which many use for a session in our Encore upgrade tanning unit.
This has been a fantastic marketing tool for us.”
Another successful promotion has been Encore’s “Beach Pass” – passes
with the salon’s information on one side and a coupon for one free
tan on the other. Jim added that the salon also has a MySpace.com page,
and this has helped increase Encore’s popularity with people in the
area. “It’s a great way to reach out to the younger generation,” he
said. “Currently, we have over 300 people added as friends.”
Encore, Encore!
After a successful first year in business, Becky and Anne have taken the
time to contemplate not only their success, but also their next move. First,
they plan to upgrade their MagicTan sunless spray booth with the company’s
newest innovation – the MagicTan VersaSpa. “I’ve already
installed four as a distributor, and it makes me want it even more at our
salon!” Becky claimed. “We plan on adding ours by the end of
this year as a way of preparing for the upcoming season.” Utilizing
UV equipment from Heartland Tanning, Inc. also inspired the couple to begin
distributing the company’s tanning units, as well. They would also
like to fill two more hair styling stations as well as add more UV tanning
equipment, preferably a high-pressure unit. After that, the partners say
it’s time for a second Encore. “There’s another college
town about 25 miles from us across the border in Pennsylvania, and we’d
love to open up there,” Jim added.
From humble beginnings as a one-unit salon to a successful multi-service
facility and two distributorships, Becky, Jim and Anne have always known
that indoor tanning was the career for them. “This business is our
retirement and our children’s education; plus, it’s a very fun
and relaxing industry to be in,” Jim said. “This is where we
should’ve been 10 years ago!”
For years, students at George Washington University in our nation’s
capital had to take a 20-minute bus ride to tan indoors. Then, Graham
Galka, Kristopher Hart and Todd Stromberg – three fraternity brothers
with a plan – opened Relaxed Tans, an upscale tanning salon in the
heart of the GWU campus. After an opening day that could only be described
as a big winner, the three are enjoying success with their venture. As
they work to perfect their business model, the goal of opening more Relaxed
Tans salons continues to look more and more like a feasible reality.
A Shared Plan
Successful businesses have to start somewhere, and in the case of Relaxed,
it all began at the Phi Sigma Kappa frat house. It was the fall of 2004,
and Graham Galka met Kristopher Hart while the former was pledging the
popular fraternity. “We found out that our parents lived very close
to each other in Philadelphia so I would always ride home with him on
the holidays, and in that time we became friends,” explained Graham. “We
were returning from Easter break in 2005 and Kristopher was getting ready
to graduate; he said that he would like to start a business and an indoor
tanning salon seemed like the logical choice. We knew that there weren’t
any salons near the school – the closest was at least a 20-minute
ride away – so one on campus would probably be successful.” The
more they drove, the more they talked, and the more they talked, the
more the idea of opening a tanning salon felt right.
Let’s Get Started!
While Graham and Kristopher were intent on becoming indoor tanning salon
owners, there was one small problem – neither young man had ever
tanned indoors. They took a crash course at many Virginia-area salons,
and their experiences not only cemented the idea of salon ownership in
their minds, it also taught them more about tanning and even helped them
come up with a name for their new business venture. “We found the
tanning experience very relaxing, and since it was our intention to develop
a salon with an upscale, spa-like atmosphere, we decided to name the
business ‘Relaxed,’” Graham explained. “Our last
step was to recruit a third team member, our friend Todd Stromberg, who
was the former chapter advisor for Phi Sigma Kappa, because we knew his
business experience would help get the salon off to a great start.”
So, with a 60-page business proposal in hand, the three opened Relaxed
Tans in 1,350 square feet of space on the first floor of an eight-story
medical office complex in the heart of D.C.’s GWU campus. “We
signed a lease on February 2, 2006 and were able to open for business
on March 3,” Graham recalled.
Putting It All Together
Graham and the guys credit much of their success to the staffs of EuroWalls
and tanning distributor, American Sun Systems. “EuroWalls helped
us best utilize our space and create an upscale look,” he commented. “And
we learned so much at American Sun Systems’ symposium, which has
been very helpful in operating our business. The sales staff at American
Sun Systems also was a huge help with determining the best equipment
mix for our store.” Relaxed currently has seven tanning systems – two
Soltron Race beds, four Ergoline Ambition, and a Soltron Shuttle stand-up.
On the shelves are lotions from Australian Gold, Designer Skin and Swedish
Beauty, and the store operates with TanTrack salon software by Nichesoft.
The Hot Spot
On Relaxed’s first day of business, the three partners tanned a
total of 211 people. Not bad for an opening day! What was their secret
to marketing and promoting their brand new business? “We were reaching
out to the college community before we ever opened our doors,” Graham
explained. “People saw us loading the equipment into our facility
in the days leading up to our opening, and that helped create some excitement.
To keep it going, we advertised in our school newspaper and worked with
various student groups to distribute flyers and get our name out there
in our community.” Another promo that’s worked well for the
Relaxed gang is the “$2 tan” in any unit for all first-time
tanners. “That was designed to be a one-time special and it was
so popular that it became our trademark; now we offer it to all first-time
tanners,” he added. “Last September, we sold $5 tans in all
units for the weekend, and that was very popular, too.”
What’s Next?
With a year in business now on the books, it appears that Relaxed is
off to a good start. So where will the three business partners take the
salon? “We have one empty room, and it’s our goal to fill that
room with either a sunless spray booth or a high-pressure unit, whichever
will be more popular with our customer demographic,” Graham said. “We’ve
also considered adding a manicurist. Whatever we decide, we’ll do
it in the fall because our season coincides with the school year.” Once
space at the current Relaxed location is maxed out, the trio would like
to open a second store. “Opening another salon will happen in due
time; right now, we’re busy perfecting our existing business model,” he
said.
Although he never planned on going to college to become a tanning salon
owner, Graham says he’s more than happy with his career choice.
And, even though he’s finishing his degree, he’s totally embracing
his new life as a salon professional. “This is a great way to earn
a living!” Graham exclaimed. “It’s a very fun business
to operate and everyone in the industry is very nice and helpful. Most
of all, we love our clients – it’s great to be able to offer
them a service that makes them so happy.”
With 36 tanning units, SunTan Village-Lebanon could certainly be called
a “mega-salon.” Based in Lebanon, TN the salon is also one
that’s steeped in indoor tanning history – it’s co-owner,
Steve Pirtle, is an industry veteran who’s worked for two prominent
lotion companies. Since purchasing SunTan Village in October 2004, Steve
has been able to build on the salon’s success, all the while learning
the ropes of tanning salon ownership. For the past three years, the salon
has seen continued growth, and Pirtle is excited about its future, which
will certainly include a second location.
An Opportunity at Home
Steve Pirtle is well known in the world of indoor tanning. The Tennessee
native started his tanning industry career working for Body Drench, when
the company was owned by Rick Norvell. As many in the industry already
know, Rick sold the original Body Drench, and Pirtle joined his old friend
once more when Rick returned to the industry with his latest company,
Norvell. So how did this lotion educator and salesman end up on the “other
side of the counter” owning and operating a tanning salon? “While
attending the Indoor Tanning Association 2004 World Expo in Orlando,
my wife Darlene and I found out about a tanning salon that was for sale
in Lebanon, TN, which was near our home,” said Steve. “After
seeing it and talking with the owners, we thought it would be a wonderful
opportunity, so we purchased it in October.”
A Change of Pace
After buying SunTan Village, Steve’s original plan was for Darlene
to operate the business. This worked well for a while, but it became
apparent that handling the duties of a busy, 36-unit tanning salon was
too much for her to do alone and she asked her husband to join her. This
presented Steve with the opportunity to do something he’d wanted
to do for a long time – spend more time at home. “My job with
Norvell was exciting and challenging and Rick has been a longtime friend,
but the only downside was that it kept me on the road more than I wanted
to be,” Steve commented. “I decided it would be in everyone’s
best interest for me to help out at the salon, full-time.” While
saying goodbye to his old career was bittersweet, he was excited about
the new opportunities salon ownership presented. And, while Steve was
well versed in the subject of tanning lotion sales, he also faced the
challenge of learning everything he would need to work the “other
side of the counter.”
All Under One Roof!
SunTan Village is aptly named, for the facility is big enough to house
a village! Occupying an 8,000 square-foot building that was once a grocery
store, the salon utilizes about 6,000 square feet of that space, featuring
10-foot-wide hallways and a total of five bathrooms. The salon has 36
tanning units – there’s seven Sportarredo Summer 75, seven
Klafsun Cosmo, 17 Sportarredo K52, four Sportarredo Kombi, two Sportarredo
Olympic and one Hex stand-up. And, as a former Norvell employee, Steve
knows the benefits of offering two of the company’s sunless handheld
spray tanning devices as well. “In a business such as this, you’re
only as good as your employees, and we’re very fortunate to have
the greatest team here at SunTan Village,” Steve commented. “During
our first year, we built a very hardworking team, and their efforts have
taken us through three successful years in business. We’re very
thankful for our staff.”
The salon sells lotions by Australian Gold, California Tan, Designer
Skin, Norvell and Supre, and operates utilizing the Helios software system.
In addition to its tanning lotion sales, SunTan Village also does well
with the Norvell salt scrubs. “Any salon not selling salt scrub
is losing out on a great source of revenue,” he commented. “We
have a ‘try-me’ bar in the front of the salon where our sales
staff allows people to sample the salt scrub before their tanning session
so they can see how it improves their results. Almost everyone who tries
it falls in love with the way it makes their skin feel, and they end
up purchasing it.”
Word Travels …
As a savvy businessman, Steve tries many methods to promote SunTan Village
to potential tanners in the area. He’s tried everything from running
ads with his local newspaper to utilizing direct mail to his clients
and getting involved with the Chamber of Commerce and other civic organizations,
and all of these approaches have been effective. He’s also extended
his hours of operation by opening at 7am, which has increased his salon’s
popularity with nurses and other third-shift workers in the area, and
enhanced the salon’s customer base. “We’re located on
Main Street in a typical small town, USA, so I’d have to say that
word-of-mouth has been our best marketing method,” Steve commented. “It’s
really taken off during our third year in business.”
Room to Grow
Although SunTan Village is already a mega salon, there’s still room
to grow – and Steve plans to take full advantage of it. Currently,
there’s about 2,000 square feet of unused space at the facility,
and he’s considering the addition of a two-chair hair salon to boost
business during the off-peak months. Once that’s completed, he plans
to proceed to the second phase of his plan. “We’re planning
to open a second location, only this store will have about 17 tanning
units,” Steve explained. “Since we eventually want to have
multiple salons in and around our community, it’s much easier to
make that happen if we’re opening smaller stores to start out with.
Our second location will be the prototype for all future SunTan Village
salons, and we’re very excited to begin working on it.”
After many successful years in tanning lotion sales and education, Steve
Pirtle is happy he made the transition to salon ownership. “It’s
been very worthwhile!” he exclaimed. “I’ve always loved
being a part of the indoor tanning industry, and this allows me to continue
to do that while still giving me much more time at home. It’s also
great to see so many happy people coming into our salon every day. I
love it!”
