In just its first three years, Fairlawn's Aro Hair Salon has become one of the top salons in the region
By Mimi Vanderhaven
In October 2015—exactly three years ago—veteran salon owner Joe Arrowood vowed to create a new kind of salon experience: a small, modern space with a staff dedicated to service, teamwork, professionalism and education.
That’s when Aro Hair Salon opened, a Redken Elite Salon tucked in the back corner of Merchant’s Square, the hot-spot retail plaza in Fairlawn at the corner of Ghent Road and Sand Run Parkway across from Summit Mall.
Since its opening, the salon has grown to a dozen staffers, each of whom has undergone the same consistent training from not only Joe himself, but also salon manager Kelly Delagrange and education director Heather Parker-Crabtree.
The Client Experience
“We all work incredibly well together,” Kelly says.
“When someone walks in the door, they aren’t my client or your client; they are our client. And that kind of teamwork makes all the difference.”
“We believe in consistency, professionalism, and the client experience,” Joe adds. “We’re focused on the entire experience—from the front desk to shampoo to educating our clients on techniques they can do at home.”
But, Joe says, it’s really all about people.
“We have a conscious intention of growing our associates through hard mentoring, coaching—and sometimes parenting—to be the best they can be and to have a successful career in an industry that hasn’t always been taken seriously from a career standpoint,” he says.
“We’ve built a team of people who are consistent, driven, educated, and relentless in their personal growth away from the insecurities that we all share. We create opportunities for growth through experience, but we try not to sacrifice life balance with our loved ones.”
Education for the Aro staff includes regularly honing their skills and techniques and staying on top of trends and technology.
“That’s what our clients expect from us and that’s what we expect from ourselves,” Kelly says. “But education also extends to our clients when we’re behind the chair. For example, we tell you what we’re using and why. We show you how to hold the brush. We let you hold it so you can recreate the look at home.”
The Aro team attends regular training from some of the top, high-end artists in the country—in everything from cutting and coloring to styling.
One new product is Redken’s Color Extend Graydiant Shampoo, a violet-pigmented system that reduces brassiness (yellow tint) in gray and silver hair. Its lactic acid also strengthens and smooths rough, wiry texture. It came to Mimi's attention because, well, she has gray hair.
Changing Trends
There have been a number of fashion shifts since the salon opened three years ago. Kelly explains:
“Balayage is still huge, but it’s gone from soft and supple to higher contrasts—darker roots and lighter ends, or even red next to blond. But it still looks natural. There’s also been an increase in fantasy colors, pastel colors like rose-gold, lavender and pink. Even women in their sixties are doing it because the color is soft and subtle. No one looks at you and says ‘Her hair is pink.’ It’s far more subtle than that.”
Aro also does community outreach, including serving as a drop-off location for gently used coats, boots and sweaters in support of the non-profit Akron Snow Angels.
A Free Gift For You
In keeping with Aro’s commitment to the customer experience, the salon is offering a free gift to the community in celebration of its third anniversary:
Whether you are a current customer, former customer or have never visited the salon before, come in for a complimentary Redken Heat Cure service, a revolutionary conditioning treatment that uses gentle heat to repair up to one year of damage in minutes.
Aro Hair Salon is located at 127 Ghent Rd. in Fairlawn's Merchant Square. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 234-334-7723. The website is AroSalon.com.