Why Small Businesses Matter in Ridgefield: Amy Pal, Whip Salon
Why Small Businesses Matter
Shop small, do big things for your community
Let’s make 2018 a big year for our Ridgefield small businesses and put a spotlight on the local merchants who donate their time, talent, goods, and services for the betterment of our community.
Three questions with Amy Pal, owner of Whip Salon
Why did you start your business?
I started Whip Salon because I thought it was something we needed here in Ridgefield and because, well, I thought it'd be fun!
Whip Salon is a full-service salon that opened in October 2016 and is now expanding to Westport later this month. People spend a lot of time getting their hair cut, colored and blown out so I wanted the entire process itself to enjoyable AND for you to look and feel amazing at the end. So I became obsessed with the idea of taking the salon concept and really modernizing the approach.
At the foundation of the business is top talent such as Suzanne Baumann (colorist) and Shay MacInnis (cuts) - our glamsquad are truly some of the best stylists around. But in addition, I'm hyper-focused on client satisfaction. That means we'll surprise you by going above and beyond and you'll get the hair you'll fall in love with too. From being properly greeted with a warm friendly welcome, to getting a whimsical customized napkin with a snappy hairdo saying along with your complimentary beverage of choice (bubbly, wine, beer to coffee and tea) our aim is to delight our clients. Fast free wifi, hip music and a phone charger at every station are a few more examples of our perks. We even partnered with area expert in massage therapy Susi Laura Massage to develop a bespoke scalp massage that is included in every hair service, developed and trained to our staff by Susi Laura herself! The little things add up and our clients tell us how much they appreciate it which makes our day and keeps them coming back.
How many people do you employ? Any youth or seniors from the community?
We have 25 employees at Whip Salon Ridgefield and are working on hiring at least that in Westport. One of my favorite things is participating in the Ridgefield High School internship program. I take on two super-smart students to work alongside us in our business for 6 weeks. Whip Salon shares how we run a small business with them, and they teach us all about how youth culture uses social media among other things! I strongly encourage small business owners to take advantage of this amazing resource in our community. High School students are sharp and they have taught me some great tips too, frankly, I probably get as much out of it as they do.
How many local businesses do you use to support your business (products and services) and can you name them?
My motto has always been "better together." Partnering with other like-minded local businesses is a huge part of our success. Where to start with our partners?! In addition to Susi Laura Massage, we partner with Spaklicious on our Whipalicious parties for kids, Lucy's who provides beautiful clothes for our Look Book models, Ancona Wines supplies all of our beer, wine and prosecco, Squash's for our office supplies and printing, Purple Heather Floral Design on our floral arrangements, Ridgefield Magazine, Hamlethub and Hello Ridgefield Social Media Consulting for marketing, Utiliz for our electricity, Styling Seed for makeup and styling events, Claudia Pacifico Photography for our photo shoots and so many more!
At Whip Salon we've developed a culture around positivity and giving back where we can to help make the community more enriched and stronger beyond our day to day business. Last year we created Whiplash with Lucy's on Main Street which was a fashion show fundraiser for The Aldrich. This year we've partnered with Sparkle Events to create a new event called Hair Ball 2018 also to raise money for The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum which is taking place March 10th. There's nothing more rewarding than giving back and having fun doing it!
Amy Pal tags Lyndsay Clark, owner of KickFit.