Paralee Boyd, which specializes in providing haircare for women of color with thick and curly hair, sets itself apart from seemingly similar salons by eschewing the traditional appointment-based model and instead only offering its services on a walk-in basis.
And now the unique salon is opening in Detroit, in a high-profile location in Midtown on Woodward Avenue. It's the second location for the salon, and its first in Detroit. Paralee Boyd Salon first opened in Southfield in 2012.
Though newer, Dana White, the owner of Paralee Boyd, considers the Midtown location her flagship studio, and the point from which she'll launch her brand on a national level. White has big plans for Paralee Boyd, and she's prepared herself with a novel approach to haircare and a well-manicured attention to detail.
White says that while living in New York, she found salons that worked on a walk-ins-only approach, something different than what she was used to while growing up in Michigan. And they were cheaper, too. What appointments-based salons offered, however, was more business stability. So White sought to combine the best of both styles.
Before opening her salon in Southfield, White consulted with engineers from members of the Big 3 auto companies. She wanted to take the walk-ins-only process and streamline it, make it more efficient and stable.
White embraced the principles of lean manufacturing, eliminating waste while improving productivity, and it worked. In busy times, White says her Southfield salon services 600 to 700 women a month. She's planning on opening five to ten more salons in the metro Detroit area, and then more throughout the state. She's also exploring opportunities in 200 major markets nationwide.
"I specifically chose metro Detroit to launch my brand because I know what I'm doing is innovative and I wanted to come to the center of innovation," says White. "It's not lost on me that my lean manufacturing practices are the same as those of Henry Ford."
Paralee Boyd Salon opens Thursday, Dec. 21, at 7 a.m. Its hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Paralee Boyd Salon is located at 3939 Woodward Ave. in Detroit.
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