GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Winds of change are hitting Bridge Street. Two book-ending salons are combining to create more room for opportunity on the strip. Esquire Hair Salon for Men will join Head of the Pride Salon.
Vincenzo Licari has owned Esquire Hair Salon for Men for 48 years. The Bridge Street barber first immigrated to the United States from Italy in the 1960s. Just a decade later, he had learned English, earned his barbering license and saved up enough money to start his new career.
Fast forward to 2019 and Licari is still a practicing barber, but the walls where storied black-and-white photos of his past once hung are gone. Replacing them are open, white walls and ceilings with natural light flooding in.
"We are very happy to move over here—a nice salon, a nice opportunity to us," Licari said.
He made the decision to combine spaces with his neighborhood competition of five years, Head of the Pride Salon. The two salons have a history of friendly professional courtesy, whether it was client referrals or just a waving nod.
Head of the Pride opened June 16, 2014, the day marking a 6-1-6 day of celebration for Grand Rapids. Owner and stylist, Sarah Dilley specializes in both men and women's hair, and said she's eager to give all customers a "high-end experience."
"I started to realize that men are really the forgotten souls of the hair world. It’s like you have a $10 chop shop option or nothing really where you feel comfortable, so I wanted to create a space where men feel equal to women walking in," she explained.
Now, instead of being rivals for male clientele, the two are bringing in the customers together, under one roof. Both owners say the move is to make more room for other types of business on Bridge Street.
"We both sat down and realized the potential to join forces and come together and allow another business the opportunity to come into the West Side," Dilley said.
The salons merged into one location on Tuesday, July 9, but say they will still be operating as separate businesses. In addition to creating opportunity for development, Dilley said she has also hired two new employees to help with the influx in customers.
There are no known plans for Esquire's old location.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter.