Blo/Out Blow Dry Bar INSIGHT MAGAZINE MARCH 7, 2012

Transcription

1 Blo/Out Blow Dry Bar INSIGHT MAGAZINE MARCH 7, 2012 Blo/Out Blow Dry Bar, a new & trendy hair styling salon has recently opened in Huntingdon Valley, PA. Avi Shenkar a serial entrepreneur, was involved with the development of a high end full feature salon when a friend in Miami mentioned her addiction to the new Blow Dry Bar trend. A simple text message sparked weeks of research, surveying, and ultimately Avi s withdrawal from the full salon and rapid heading into the Blow Dry Bar industry. Located in between Philadelphia, Montgomery and Bucks Counties, allowing for clients from all around to experience the benefit of a blow out, Blo/Out Blow Dry Bar is a great place for people of any age group. By having restored the architectural elements of the original space with combination of modern lines in the furniture, it brings together cohesiveness and comfort. The unpredictable splash of color throughout the interior with the Blo/Out signature pink and orange create a modern whimsy and playful space. The focal point is the custom designed bar centered as the showcase of work stations, the weathered wood top serves as the ideal warm and calm balance with ultra modern bar stools. Upholstered white furniture with gentle curves exhibits classic and understated elegance in the seating area which is anchored by a cluster of chandeliers. The overall ambiance of modern modesty and traditional classic style create a welcoming décor for Blo/Out Blow Dry Bar. Designer Anna Rozenberg founder of A&R Designs based in New York, who previously worked with some of the most reputable architectural and interior design firms has applied her extraordinary experience and understanding of a perfect combination between art and function to the Blo/Out space. Blo/Out Blow Dry Bar brings the blow out concept to a whole new level for both clients and stylists; due to the busy and fun atmosphere, the flexibility, and the opportunity to concentrate on blow outs alone. The trend comes as the hair salon industry is struggling. Consumers are stretching out the time between haircuts and cutting back on higher-priced and higher profit services such as coloring and permanent straightening treatments, says Caitlin Moldvay, industry research analyst at market research firm IBISWorld. The Blow Dry Bar concept has standardized the process. At a standardized charge of about $35 for a blowout, several describe it as an affordable luxury. The trendy new concept offers a standard of about a half dozen styles, from stick straight to beachy waves to voluminous curls. Blo/Out has been able to draw experienced talent from well known Philadelphia and surrounding salons such as Salon Blue, Fringe, Fresh, Jean Madeline, Salon Rage, and many more. Blo/Out will provide an opportunity for anyone with styling experience the chance at earning a position on the Blo/Out team by competing in our regular Blo/n Out! Stylist elimination reality show. If you think you ve got what it takes, visit Blo/Out Blow Dry Bar on a Monday night and audition for your spot on the team!

2 Business New Blow Dry Bar Brings New York Fad to Huntingdon Valley Blo/Out features shampoos, blow drys and styles. By Jesseka Kadylak March 21, 2012 If you're looking for a cut and color, Huntingdon Valley's new niche salon Blo/Out Blow Dry Bar is the wrong place to visit. The trendy salon only shampoos, drys and styles hair. Founder Avi Shenkar was about to embark in a partnership to create a high-end full-service salon, but a friend from Miami told him about a new salon fad that stole his interest. "She said she was addicted to blowout bar concept," Shenkar explained. "She referred me to a Wall Street Journal article, and it sold me." The Blo/Out Experience After doing a little research, Shenkar said that he realized no one had set up a blow dry bar in the Philadelphia area. He said the closet location is in New York. "That really took me," he said. "So I got out of the full salon partnership and went full on for the blow out." An entrepreneur for the last 20 years, Shenkar said he is always in search of unique concepts, and a blow dry bar is just that. "We don't cut. We don't color. All we do is blowouts," he said. The concept materialized for Shenkar pretty fast. It's been a two month process to bring the salon to fruition, he said. He had an interior designer from New York come in, he hired about five stylists and opened the doors for a soft launch in mid- March. "We've been open a week and it's been a very successful week," Shenkar told Patch on Friday, March 16. "The response and reaction we received has been tremendous. The clients love the quality... and love the place because of how beautiful we made. I have no complaints." For those who have never had a blow out before, Shenkar said it's a fun and relaxing experience. There are several styles and packages to make the experience available to all ages no matter the length of hair. Upon entering the salon, the guest will be "greeted by our wonderful customer service blo-litas," Shenkar said, and taken to the shampoo room for a wash and skull massage. You're then given an ipad to choose a style as a foundation, unless you already have a style in mind. "It's a foundation because not all hair types can replicate an exact style," he said.

3 Once the customer has chosen a style, the "blo-lita" stylist will dry and style until the final result is achieved. During the process, since conversation with the stylist is limited due to the volume of the blow dryer, guests can hang on to the ipad and browse the Internet, play games, check facebook and twitter and more. The base rate for a blow out is $35. For that price, customers can choose from nine standard styles. The rate is $55 for a custom style, $65 for an up-do, and other packages are available. For example, if a group of three come in for the "Blo/Out n' Go/Out" Sunday through Thursday, the rate is $32. Blo/Out also has packages for mother and daughter, home and office visits and other special events like weddings and parties. For a list of available styles, visit Blo/Out's website for the menu. Guests can schedule an appointment online, or call to make an appointment. Blo/Out is open Monday-Wednesday, 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m p.m.; and Sunday, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. The Grand Opening Though Blo/Out has been opened for a short time, it was only a soft opening. Some finishing touches need to be complete before the salon has its official debut. The grand opening will take place on Friday, April 13, at 4 p.m. Guests can enjoy a signature drink, the Blo/Me Mosa, and hors d'oeuvre catered by Arugula Ristorante. In addition to mingling with the staff and checking out the salon, guests are invited to watch a competition to fill another stylist slot. Shenkar said that about five stylists are going to be chosen and hired through a social media elimination show. "Three to four stylists will be competing against each other, like [the Food Network's chef elimination show] 'Chopped,' " he explained. He hopes to have a celebrity judge and possibly team up with a network to get it shown on TV. For now, the plan is to have it air on social media platforms, like facebook and the like. Complimentary blow outs will be given during the grand opening, and all proceeds will be donated to a charity. Shenkar said all tips will be donated to The Healing Consciousness Foundation, a Holy Redeemer charity that benefits those at high risk for or diagnosed with breast cancer. "It's a really cool cause that we want to work with," he said. "We've teamed up with them for other events we will be doing." In addition to giving back to the community through charity, Shenkar said he also wants to do something for the Lower Moreland community. His first thought is to work something out with the high school, he said, and offer a promotion for girls going to prom. Nothing has been set up yet, but he has been talking with the parent teachers association to start planning. A native to Lower Moreland, Shenkar chose his hometown for the first blow out bar location, though plans for expansion are already in the works. "I grew up here," he said. "There's a lot of resources and networking here. It's central to Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia [counties]. Personally, I love the area, so it was a natural first place to start." Since the concept itself works, Shenkar said, he's not wasting time before expanding. If all goes as planned, the next location will open in Old City in June and then a Rittenhouse location will open in September.

4 Business Blo/Out Blow Dry Bar Grand Opening Friday, April 13, 2012, 4:00 pm Blo/Out Blow Dry Bar, 1051 County Line Rd, Huntingdon Valley, PA Get Directions» FREE Head to the Blo/Out Blow Dry Bar for its grand opening celebrations and the first episode of Blo/Off a social media driven stylist elimination reality show. In addition to getting a complimentary blow out, guests can enjoy a signature drink, the Blo/Me Mosa, and hors d'oeuvre catered by Arugula Ristorante. Though the blow out is free, all tips will be donated to The Healing Consciousness Foundation. The foundation worked to improve the quality of life for those at high risk for or diagnosed with breast cancer through holistic healing modalities, education, and life style changes. Event Details Posted by: Where Jesseka Kadylak Blo/Out Blow Dry Bar 1051 County Line Rd, Huntingdon Valley, PA Next on April 13, 2012 Time 4:00 pm 10:00 pm Who to bring College Students, Moms, Singles, Teens, Seniors Website bloout. eventbrite. com/??ref= ecount Phone Price $0 MORE ABOUT BLO/OUT BLOW DRY BAR Blo/Out Blow Dry Bar 1051 County Line Rd, Huntingdon Valley, PA This newly-opened salon is located on Huntingdon Pike near the intersection of County Line Rd. It offers a unique service of blowing out women's hair in many different styles. Have their team of stylists re-work your look to make it straight, wavy, blown out like a rockstar or however you like. They also specialize in makeup application, up-do styling, in-home styling services and more. However, the store does not do haircuts or hair color. No appointsments are necessary and each visit will not require a lot of time at all. It is open 7 days a week.

5 Blo/Out blow dry bar arrives in Philly MONICA WEYMOUTH PHILADELPHIA Published: March 18, :46 p.m. There is a note on my account at my usual hair salon. I'm not sure what, exactly, it says, but I'm pretty sure it's along the lines of "This girl has hair that will fry your straightener and make you reconsider careers." I have heard the raw panic in the receptionist's voice and talked more than one colorist out of a mid-foil meltdown. I have coached the shampoo girl through my too-thick tangles and promised to buy the stylist and the assistant he had to tag-in drinks. By the time it gets to the blow-dry, I usually surrender and tell them to leave it curly. Pretty and pink: Blo/Out embraces its girly side. This might be why I'm a little too excited for Blo/Out, the first blow dry bar to hit the Philly area. Snuggled up in an unassuming shopping center Huntington Valley, it's a simple concept that has fans in New York: No cuts, no color, just blow-outs for $35. Pick a style off the menu (from super-straight to southern belle), get shampooed and get going on your bouncy way make a couple hacky "blow" jokes in here somewhere if you must. Thanks to some wonder products and serious round-brush skills, even my hair clocked in around the target mark of 35 minutes. Rather than fight my volume, they went with playful flips and only resorted to the straightening iron for one especially frisky section. Add some Britney Spears and mimosas, and I was hooked (and perpetually 17 apparently, but that's another problem). For now, Blo/Out is only in the burbs, but come early summer, they hope to have an Old City location. Stalk (and/or visit) them here.

6 Beauty bytes: Blo/Out Blow Dry Bar opening in Huntingdon Valley Posted: Thursday, March 1, :07 am Deidre Wengen Every woman knows the power of a good blow out. It's that salon moment that transforms an average hair style into something special, sexy and sleek. And now, you can have that just-left-the-salon look without the hassle of a haircut or color. This weekend, local entrepreneur Avi Shenkar is launching Blo/Out Blow Dry Bar in Huntingdon Valley. The on-trend salon, located at 1051 County Line Road, will offer customers an array of blow out services from straight, full-bodied styles to teased rockstar hair and wavy, beach-like strands. The location does not do haircuts or hair color. Blo/Out Blow Dry Salon offers up the latest in a growing trend of dry bars sweeping the nation. Blow out bars are already popular in New York and Los Angeles, and now the Philadelphia region has the opportunity to take advantage of this affordable luxury first hand. This type of salon offers women the chance to primp for a special event or to look completely polished any day of the week. And the best part - each blow out costs just $35 and takes approximately the same amount of time as getting a manicure. Blo/Out Blow Dry Bar will also offer other services including makeup application, updo styling, Keratin treatments, in-home styling services and more. A soft opening of the salon will take place of Blo/Out Blow Dry Bar on Sunday, March 4 from noon to 6 p.m. The first 20 blow outs will be free of charge. The regular hours of the salon are Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, call

7 Get to Know the New Bar in Town: Blo/Out That s right, friends: there is a new kind of bar in town and this one won t leave you feeling like you got hit by a truck the next morning, either. Instead, this bar will have you looking and feeling fabulous. I recently had the extreme pleasure of speaking with the owner of Blo/Out, the city s premier Blow Dry Bar, Avi Shenkar, on this one-of-a-kind salon. PW Style: Hi Avi! Can you tell me where you came up with the idea for this type of unique salon? Avi: I was originally going into a full service salon when I asked a friend of mine in Miami for her opinion on the salon industry. She told me that it is always a great industry but she s addicted to the blow dry bar concept. When I asked her what that was she sent me a Wall Street Journal article about it and I went crazy about the concept. I loved it from the moment I read the article. The service was popping up in metropolitan areas such as NY, Miami, Los Angeles and Dallas, but has not come to the Philadelphia area yet. I dropped the salon idea and went full steam into the blow dry bar idea. PW: Do you offer other services at your salon besides just blow drying? A: Our main service is obviously a blow dry. However, we offer a blow out in 8 standard styles such as The Astoria, which is a straight full bodied style, The Blaire, which is a sexy loose curls style, and even a Braid/Out, which is a French, Dutch, or Loose braid in all sorts of styles. We [also] offer The Sofie for young ladies ages 12 and under. Other than the standard blow out, we offer the following: Blo/Me Away Scalp Massage, Blo/Me Up Updo Styling, Blo/Me Custom Custom Blow Out, Blo/Me Out Blow Home or Office, Blo/Em Events / Parties / Weddings Blow Outs, and Blo/Licious Delicious Make Up Application PW: Wow! They all sound amazing. Where can interested customers find this hair heaven? A: Currently our first location opened up in Huntingdon Valley, PA, which is on the outskirts of Northeast Philadelphia, Bucks County and Montgomery County. It s a great area due to its central location to the three counties. Our upcoming locations are Old City and Rittenhouse, which are opening later this year. PW: Oh, great! I live in Rittenhouse and you can bet I will be visiting that location! Is there a specific type of clientele that you target? A: We do not have a specific demographic, but our main clientele are women that are looking for that awesome look and feel you usually get when leaving the salon, but on a more regular and affordable basis. We have clients coming in before dates, a night out, business meeting, parties or events, etc Since an appointment is not necessary, women love walking in and walking out 35 minutes later looking and feeling brand new and beautiful. PW: Any other events that women come in there for? A: We have weddings, proms, seems like birthday parties are big and showers wedding, baby, etc. Lots of pre-date stylings as well! For more information on Blo/Out, visit their Facebook page! ~Michelle C. Mass Mar :41am

8 Business New Blow Dry Bar Brings New York Fad to Huntingdon Valley Blo/Out features shampoos, blow drys and styles. By Jesseka Kadylak March 21, 2012 If you're looking for a cut and color, Huntingdon Valley's new niche salon Blo/Out Blow Dry Bar is the wrong place to visit. The trendy salon only shampoos, drys and styles hair. Founder Avi Shenkar was about to embark in a partnership to create a high-end full-service salon, but a friend from Miami told him about a new salon fad that stole his interest. "She said she was addicted to blowout bar concept," Shenkar explained. "She referred me to a Wall Street Journal article, and it sold me." The Blo/Out Experience After doing a little research, Shenkar said that he realized no one had set up a blow dry bar in the Philadelphia area. He said the closet location is in New York. "That really took me," he said. "So I got out of the full salon partnership and went full on for the blow out." An entrepreneur for the last 20 years, Shenkar said he is always in search of unique concepts, and a blow dry bar is just that. "We don't cut. We don't color. All we do is blowouts," he said. The concept materialized for Shenkar pretty fast. It's been a two month process to bring the salon to fruition, he said. He had an interior designer from New York come in, he hired about five stylists and opened the doors for a soft launch in mid- March. "We've been open a week and it's been a very successful week," Shenkar told Patch on Friday, March 16. "The response and reaction we received has been tremendous. The clients love the quality... and love the place because of how beautiful we made. I have no complaints." For those who have never had a blow out before, Shenkar said it's a fun and relaxing experience. There are several styles and packages to make the experience available to all ages no matter the length of hair. Upon entering the salon, the guest will be "greeted by our wonderful customer service blo-litas," Shenkar said, and taken to the shampoo room for a wash and skull massage. You're then given an ipad to choose a style as a foundation, unless you already have a style in mind. "It's a foundation because not all hair types can replicate an exact style," he said.

9 Once the customer has chosen a style, the "blo-lita" stylist will dry and style until the final result is achieved. During the process, since conversation with the stylist is limited due to the volume of the blow dryer, guests can hang on to the ipad and browse the Internet, play games, check facebook and twitter and more. The base rate for a blow out is $35. For that price, customers can choose from nine standard styles. The rate is $55 for a custom style, $65 for an up-do, and other packages are available. For example, if a group of three come in for the "Blo/Out n' Go/Out" Sunday through Thursday, the rate is $32. Blo/Out also has packages for mother and daughter, home and office visits and other special events like weddings and parties. For a list of available styles, visit Blo/Out's website for the menu. Guests can schedule an appointment online, or call to make an appointment. Blo/Out is open Monday-Wednesday, 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m p.m.; and Sunday, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. The Grand Opening Though Blo/Out has been opened for a short time, it was only a soft opening. Some finishing touches need to be complete before the salon has its official debut. The grand opening will take place on Friday, April 13, at 4 p.m. Guests can enjoy a signature drink, the Blo/Me Mosa, and hors d'oeuvre catered by Arugula Ristorante. In addition to mingling with the staff and checking out the salon, guests are invited to watch a competition to fill another stylist slot. Shenkar said that about five stylists are going to be chosen and hired through a social media elimination show. "Three to four stylists will be competing against each other, like [the Food Network's chef elimination show] 'Chopped,' " he explained. He hopes to have a celebrity judge and possibly team up with a network to get it shown on TV. For now, the plan is to have it air on social media platforms, like facebook and the like. Complimentary blow outs will be given during the grand opening, and all proceeds will be donated to a charity. Shenkar said all tips will be donated to The Healing Consciousness Foundation, a Holy Redeemer charity that benefits those at high risk for or diagnosed with breast cancer. "It's a really cool cause that we want to work with," he said. "We've teamed up with them for other events we will be doing." In addition to giving back to the community through charity, Shenkar said he also wants to do something for the Lower Moreland community. His first thought is to work something out with the high school, he said, and offer a promotion for girls going to prom. Nothing has been set up yet, but he has been talking with the parent teachers association to start planning. A native to Lower Moreland, Shenkar chose his hometown for the first blow out bar location, though plans for expansion are already in the works. "I grew up here," he said. "There's a lot of resources and networking here. It's central to Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia [counties]. Personally, I love the area, so it was a natural first place to start." Since the concept itself works, Shenkar said, he's not wasting time before expanding. If all goes as planned, the next location will open in Old City in June and then a Rittenhouse location will open in September.