Cut and a shave? Not here
[attach]4995[/attach]Looking back on the past few months of running Blo Blow Dry Bar in Bayview Village, Sharmina Rajabali says their launch party stands out as a highlight.
“All funds raised went to Look Good Feel Better,” she says, adding they received gift certificates from the mall and various vendors to auction off to benefit the charity, which is dedicated to helping women with cancer. “It was a good turnout and we raised a lot of money so that was amazing.”
Blo Blow Dry Bar, which opened in the shopping centre this summer, focuses solely on styling hair — no cuts or colour allowed.
“It’s a quick in and out service, wash and blow dry within 45 minutes,” she says. “We have seven styles from our style menu from curly to straight.”
The styles include a voluminous look called the Red Carpet, a rocker-chic inspired Sex, Hugs and Rock & Roll and the razor-straight Executive Sweet.
The bar also offers services for men and bridal parties and will take its show on the road to serve clients off-site.
“I have not washed my own hair since I opened up Blo and that’s not because I own it — if I didn’t own it I would,” she says.
Rajabali, who has been running a Melonhead Children’s Hair Care on Bloor Street West for the last seven years, says she wanted to open her own blow-dry bar after Melonhead merged with Blo in 2009 and added the option to franchise.
“The first (franchise) location was at Yonge and Eglinton,” she says. “I saw it and fell in love with it.”
Rajabali says she and her husband Navaz jumped on the opportunity when space became available in the mall and says they already had experience from the Blo Blow Dry Bar they opened in Vaughan last year.
“I just want to grow this, I just want to grow Blo,” she says. “We started with the one, this is our second, I don’t know where this is going to take us now.”
Blo’s chief operating officer, Paul Spindler says his company prides itself on being North America’s original blow dry bar.
“Blo is based on the idea of maintaining flawless hair in between cuts and colour and has stayed true to the model,” he says. “At Blo, you’re not cheating on your hairdresser.”
He says they are thrilled about the possibilities for the Bayview Village location and are looking forward to bringing the company to Quebec City and Montreal.
“Blo’s franchise partners are the heart and soul of Blo,” he says. “They are … integral to the growth of Blo and revolutionizing everyday hair for women.”