Beauty News

Christina Cole has been owner of The Private Room Salon and Boutique Inc. for 2 years.

Why she opened the business downtown:“I had always loved the industry and I've always loved downtown. It was important for me to find a place here — it's a good area to grow. ... Becoming a business owner downtown has made me want to become more involved in Ocala. Instead of complaining about things, it makes you want to become a part of the solution. ... I bet you could ask any other business owner downtown — we all get along and work together. If one salon offers something that we don't, we promote them and end up sending clients back and forth to each other. Being so close to each other, it would be hard to fight with someone that is just across the street.”

How she chose the name:“The design in here is very private, it's like you are coming in to get your hair done at your own house. It's not a traditional salon with a waiting room. Every (stylist) has their own private work stations, a typical salon has rows of booths after booths. If a client just left the gym and wearing sweat pants with no makeup on, they can feel like they are not making a spectacle of themselves. ... In this economy, people are taking money out of a tight family budget and they should have a private and relaxing experience and not have a line of people waiting behind them. We hope that it's an innovative approach to the salon industry.”

How hair extensions became her best seller:“Extensions can go bad pretty quick if they aren't done right, but I never support anything in the salon that I wouldn't use myself and I think that's why we sell so many. I like to dress up and look nice and to share (knowledge) with other people that may need a little bit of help — then people leave feeling better about themselves. I love making a suggestion that they may not have thought about. ... Hair extensions have become about 75 percent of our business. They are my favorite