Alicsia O The Salon: Beauty, but Make It Fashion…
Springfield, MA – For Alicsia O, beauty is more than a profession – it’s a lifestyle. From the time she was child, Alicsia O’Connor, Owner of Alicsia O The Salon, remembered being interested in drama and art, taking lessons in every type of art, but knowing that it wasn’t her favorite thing to do. Little did she know that her interest in artistry would be the start of a promising career in beauty. She recalled having a vanity, and hair chair and doing her own hair and makeup very early on.
“When prom time came around, I was able to charge $25 per person, booked one hour per person, and earned my own money for the prom night festivities! By the time graduation arrived, my mom asked me about becoming a stylist, and told me about a friend of hers who did hairdressing as a career and had a salon at her house. I formally started my training in the Cosmetology Program at Springfield Technical Community College (STCC), and actually tested low initially, and the suggestion was made that I ‘just take general courses’. However, I was determined to pursue my passion and complete the Cosmetology Program, and I ended up doing so well I became Class President and graduated at the top of my class.”
During the course of her studies, Alicsia participated in the Hairdressing Olympics, where all of the hairdressing schools compete against each other, and won the Avant Garde category with incredibly creative hair and overall look styling. In fact, Alicsia did so well in her training, that by the time she was ready, she was able to choose where she wanted to go next and selected Visual Changes as the salon where she would grow her career.
“From my very first day at Visual Changes, I knew I wanted to own my own salon. I worked hard and served as the Head of Education and Head Stylist during my time there. After 13 years, I was ready to begin the journey of working for myself, and transitioned to renting a space at another salon – Expressions in East Longmeadow, MA. What amazed me is that when I was ready to leave that second space, and move into my own salon, about 98% of my previous clients sought me out and moved with me. I was able to move into a property where my parents were doing business, found employees trained them, got my business up and running – and then COVID-19 hit.”
Alicsia got creative, finding ways to continue serving her clientele with the safety restrictions in place. She provided customized manicure and pedicure kits for customers to purchase and have shipped to them. She also provided color-matched color kits for customers who wanted to color their hair but would have to do it from home while salons were closed. She included instructions for each step and all the items needed for completing the color process. She even created skin-care kits so that customers could do at-home spa treatments, like facials. “The pandemic has forced creativity and growth out of business owners,” Alicsia observed.
The full-service salon and spa reopened for business when the lifted restrictions allowed and continued their by-appointment-only operations without skipping a beat. Client education continues to be a core part of their service process, and allows clients to have a real, personalized, customer experience. “Something as simple as changing out a wet towel or switching out products based on customer feedback make a big difference. Education and relationship-building is what sets us apart.”
And Alicsia and her current team of two other stylists and an esthetician continue to deliver on their commitment to service excellence – and not just in hair care. As part of her innovative salon design process, Alicsia had all of the equipment in the space built on wheels, making them movable. This has positioned her to facilitate growth and development for other members of the community, like Springfield-based and internationally recognized fashion designer Justin Haynes, who was able to host a high production fashion show which also streamed live, at the salon.
“I’m committed to using the space to bring artists and community members together more.” Alicsia was recently featured in SU Magazine, and international publication for which she has been a beauty contributor for the last 10 years, and she’s looking forward to continuing her track record of innovation, education, and connection into the future!
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