Growing a hair haven in New York with Art Room Hair

Nestled away in Astoria, New York is Art Room Hair, a salon that specialises in curly haircuts. Owned by Sandra Stankovic and first opened in 2017, it’s filled with plants and signs dotted around encouraging a ‘drama-free zone’. “We have a lot of greenery that cleans our air and creates a beautiful environment where everyone can unwind,” Sandra tells us. 

Sandra started the business wanting to create a space where people quickly feel at home, “where they get to relax, enjoy good music, enjoy drinks, that kind of thing. Just forget about the outside world and get glammed up at the same time.”

“That’s my favourite part of being a small business owner. Feeling at home. You get to know all the locals so that even on your day off you bump into clients when you’re walking around”.

When Sandra opened Art Room Hair in 2017 she found that building a small business in a hidden part of New York was quite a challenge. Switching from hairdresser to business owner wasn’t a smooth process.

“Getting the clientele was a little bit challenging” Sandra tells us “we’re in a hidden place so we don’t have any walk-ins”. After around a year of having Art Room Hair, Sandra found out about Fresha from searching online. Having a profile on the marketplace meant being tucked away wasn’t stopping them from attracting new clients anymore: suddenly they were discoverable through the app. 

Once Sandra started working with Fresha, “everything was smooth”. “I was looking for a system that would be easy for clients to book at any time they want, including after hours. And now Fresha plays a major role in my business. I love how easy it is for clients to book appointments, send reminders for cancellation policies, and allow you to do so much through one system”.

“People can even pay through their phones and smartwatches with Fresha: they don't even have to bring their wallet with them at all which is cool”.

Being an owner also means wanting to see what’s going on, even when you’re thousands of miles away. “I was in Europe a few months ago and I had a problem with the booking system. And even though I was so far away I was able to do everything through my phone. And the customer service is always absolutely amazing. Whenever I need help, or I get stuck with something, they’re there to help out”. 

“Reporting and Analytics is one of my favourite features. I love the daily summary payroll. It makes my life really easy.”

Sandra’s goal for the next five years? Taking over the whole building. Then they’ll no longer be a hidden salon on the second floor. But visible on the street or not, Fresha has been able to give Art Room Hair the spotlight it deserves, helping Sandra build up her clients and grow the business over the last seven years. 

Watch our full catch up with Sandra here.