New salon grooves to downtown beat

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by Eric Olson|ret||ret||tab|

SBJ Reporter|ret||ret||tab|

Entering The Groove, a bold, new hair salon at 303 Park Central West, is like stepping into a scene from "Austin Powers The Spy Who Shagged Me." And that's exactly what husband-and-wife owners Michael and Valeria Boss intended when they renovated the building just off the square.|ret||ret||tab|

"That's where our inspiration came from," Michael Boss said of the 1960s-style comedy. |ret||ret||tab|

Since opening the colorful downtown salon March 6, Valeria Boss said she has added about 25 new customers to her previou sclient base of more than 400. |ret||ret||tab|

"Every time we move, our clientele expands," Boss said.|ret||ret||tab|

This is the third salon she has worked at and the second she has owned. Boss began her stylist career seven years ago, straight from cosmetology school to Battlefield Mall's Regis Salon. After four years there, she ran Impressions in the Salon Suites at Kansas and Battlefield.|ret||ret||tab|

"We just kind of outgrew the space," Michael Boss said of the 150-square-foot Impressions salon. The new space is 2,000 square feet.|ret||ret||tab|

The couple said the downtown area was one of two options. The other was a house on historic Walnut Street, but Valeria Boss said downtown was her first choice. |ret||ret||tab|

Building owner Gary Waldrop thinks it was the right choice.|ret||ret||tab|

"I think that it's the right idea at the right time ... in the right place," said Waldrop, who also owns Dr. Tickle Painting & Decorating on Commercial Street. "She's already a huge success, she's got a great following. Downtown is exactly the kind of place that she should be." |ret||ret||tab|

The Bosses transformed the building from a restaurant which is what all three of the previous tenants operated to a beauty salon in about three months. Renovations, which they began in early January, included a complete paint job, new track lighting and electrical wiring. They also pulled up the old carpet and linoleum floor and replaced it with tile. |ret||ret||tab|

With business now in full swing, Valeria Boss, the salon's only stylist and a national educator with Paul Mitchell, said she is booked solid for eight weeks.|ret||ret||tab|

"We're actually encouraging our clients now to book two appointments ahead," Michael Boss said. Right now, Michael Boss, who studied music and film at Southwest Missouri State University, is an apprentice under his wife and will be until mid-summer. |ret||ret||tab|

Around that same time, two other full-time employees will start for a total of four stylists. Alison Stewart will begin an apprenticeship in June and James Meyer, a cosmetology school graduate, will start in July. |ret||ret||tab|

Boss said the new stylists will build off her client base.|ret||ret||tab|

"That's an aspect that we're excited about being so booked we don't see a lot of new faces," Michael Boss said. "When we bring two or three more people on board ... then it will be really neat to see more downtown people."|ret||ret||tab|

He said at that point they will be able to accept walk-in customers.|ret||ret||tab|

Right now the couple said most of their customers are not familiar with downtown, but the salon is quickly changing that.|ret||ret||tab|

"I would say that 80 percent of our clientele did not come downtown before," Valeria Boss said. "Now they're starting to experience it."|ret||ret||tab|

For Michael Boss, it's been fun advising clients where to go for a downtown meal.|ret||ret||tab|

"The people who haven't been here before ask what's a great place to eat?' and there's so many to mention," he said. "So far everybody's really enjoyed coming down here."|ret||ret||tab|

In general, the couple said their Springfield customers come from the south side of town because that's where they previously were located. |ret||ret||tab|

"It's great to see successful businesses moving from down south to downtown," Waldrop said. "That's really gutsy and admirable she's bringing a lot of neat people to downtown."|ret||ret||tab|

But the couple also see clients from cities around the state, including Kansas City, St. Louis, Mountain Grove and from their home town of West Plains. "It's kind of neat seeing it expand to so many regional places," Michael Boss said. |ret||ret||tab|

Also, Valeria Boss said that customers have come as far as Tulsa, Okla., Lincoln, Neb., Valparaiso, Ind., Tennessee and even one from Florida.|ret||ret||tab|

The Boss's plan to build on The Groove's success with an additional location after a few years. Valeria Boss said she would like to open another salon with a different theme and different name, but with the same subtitle: A Valeria Boss Salon.|ret||ret||tab|

Until then, Boss will continue to teach advanced education in salon classes to hair dressers as a Paul Mitchell national educator. She earned the title after a year of training with Paul Mitchell's artistic directors. [[In-content Ad]]