by Ardeana Hamlin
of The Weekly Staff
BREWER — When Gina, A Paul Mitchell Focus Salon opened in Brewer on Sept. 6, it marked a new path for hairstylist and salon owner Regina “Gina” Leonard, a 2002 graduate of Pierre’s Beauty School, now Empire Beauty School, in Bangor. She also received training from the Paul Mitchell hair product company and is a national educator in the use of Paul Mitchell products.
Leonard closed her The L Factor salon in the Twin City Plaza on Aug. 26, which she operated there for seven years, to open the new salon at 72 Center St. The move to the brick building, owned by Dave Giroux, that borders the north side of the street, houses the new salon in a large, light-filled space with three hair styling stations, a private styling room where Leonard will address the hair styling and beauty needs of her clients (many of whom have become her friends, she said), a shampoo room and a break room for salon staff.
Giroux, Leonard said, was very accommodating and encouraging about what she envisioned for the salon. She asked that he leave in place one of the 1950s vintage glass block windows, for example, He also made the building so energy efficient that Leonard’s cost for heating and cooling are half what they were in her former location. He rehabilitated the salon’s portion of the building in 70 days, she said.
Leonard credited D’arcy Main-Boyington, Brewer’s director of economic development, with making to make easy the transition from one location to another. “She was key — assisting, giving support and encouragement — that was wonderful,” Leonard said. “I met D’Arcy nine years ago and her support is why I want to stay here [in Brewer].”
Leonard said she chose the new location because she wanted to be near the waterfront. “There is great potential in Brewer. I’m looking forward to seeing Center Street come back to life, being part of that.”
In addition to Gina’s Salon, the new building will house four other businesses, as yet to be announced.
Leonard, who grew up in Amherst and is a graduate of Brewer High School, chose a neutral palette for the interior decor of the new salon and furnished it with a mix of vintage and modern accents, including two chairs in a waiting area upholstered in a zebra print, two white leatherette chairs with modern overtones in a second waiting area and 13 vintage hand mirrors adorning a wall in the entry to the salon. The general effect when one enters the salon is of airiness and elegance. “I wanted both homey and modern,” Leonard said. “I love mixing the old with the new. I had a clear idea of what I wanted it to look like. I had fun shopping at TJ Maxx [for items for the salon].” Eventually, Leonard said, she wants to cover the entire entry wall with vintage hand mirrors.
“When I opened my first salon, I was young and naive, but I thought, why not try. I learned a lot [from the experience], but it became too much,” she said of her decision to downsize and move to another location.
The new salon, Leonard said, specializes in haircutting and coloring, facial waxing, scalp massages, hair conditioning treatments and airbrush makeup. Airbrush makeup, Leonard explained, is professional grade — it doesn’t look heavy on the face and is recommended for wear when a woman wants to look her very best in photographs, such as for weddings or other special events.
Gina’s Salon employees three hairstylists, Ashley Clark, Stephanie Knowles and Elodie Hale, each with her own work station decorated with items according to her own sense of personal style.
Leonard said her salon embraces the Paul Mitchell philosophy by creating a quiet and relaxing atmosphere, providing product education and giving back to the community. At the salon’s Grand Opening, she asked attendees to bring a household item to donate to Sarah’s House in Holden, a place where cancer patients, and their families, can stay while receiving treatment at the Lafayette Family Cancer Center in Brewer. “Giving back to the community is essential and inspires me,” Leonard said.
For information or to make an appointment at Gina, A Paul Mitchell Focus Salon, call 989-4247.