Beyond the chair
Reflecting the passion of owner and staff, Salon Cyan delivers style and confidence — along with emotional well-being
Photo: Jagoda Hall, owner of Salon Cyan
IF YOU WEAR a wig, you want it to look natural. So, it only makes sense to have it cut, shaped and styled to suit the individual wearing it, says Jagoda Hall, owner of Salon Cyan.
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The upscale downtown salon quietly introduced wig sales and services a few years ago for clients who lost hair during cancer treatments. Some had brought wigs that they had purchased elsewhere and asked the Salon Cyan stylists to cut and style them. Others were looking for tips on how to shampoo and care for their wigs, or asked if Hall could do that for them.
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As more and more people needing wigs found their way to the salon through word-of-mouth and referrals from healthcare practitioners, Hall and her salon manager, Kasia Fevens, recognized that the need was more than simply covering their bare heads.
“When people suffer from alopecia or lose their hair during cancer treatments, it affects them emotionally as well as physically,” Fevens says. “Having a team that can custom fit and style a wig, in their own natural hair colour and to suit their face — what a gift that is. People feel so much more confident and more comfortable about their appearance.”
With training, Fevens became a wig specialist, and a dedicated consultation room was set up on the salon’s second floor. In the bright and cozy space, clients have access to a full display of wig choices, both real and synthetic. And they have privacy when they bare their heads — and often their emotions.
Part of the cost of the display wigs and shelving came from My Main Street Local Business Accelerator Program, delivered in London by the Small Business Centre in partnership with other local organizations and supported by the Economic Developers Council of Ontario and the City of London.
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The professional wig services offered at Salon Cyan is a recent example of how the business continues to flourish — nurturing a slow-and-steady approach to growth and maintaining the flexibility to overcome challenges like pandemic closures.
Having her own upscale salon was a far-off goal when Hall arrived in Canada from Poland in 1996. First, she had to learn English, then get formal training to be a stylist, and then get experience working in other shops before she could hang out her own shingle. “I knew I wanted to have my own salon, and I knew I wanted to be downtown,” she says.
When the building at 115 Dundas Street, just east of Talbot, came up for sale, Hall fell in love with the yellow brick interior walls and the feel of the space. “This building is older than Canada,” she says. “I knew it would be a challenge to be here, but I also could see the potential and I wanted to be part of the change in this part of the downtown.”
Salon Cyan opened with Hall, her assistant and a receptionist working on the main floor. Now the salon fills both the first and second levels of the building, there are 11 stylists and several assistants, and almost all of the women who work here have been trained by Hall.
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Over the past 25 years, Hall has won national awards for colour, cutting and makeovers, and coached and mentored several Salon Cyan stylists who have entered and won national and international competitions. The award-winning styles are captured in posters that hang on the salon walls.
People may wonder why Hall named her salon Cyan. “In Polish, Jagoda means blueberry, and cyan is a beautiful shade of blue. My husband wanted to name our daughter Cyan, but I preferred a Polish name,” she explains. “The salon is like a second baby, so there was no question what the name would be!” 
This story is presented in partnership with the London Small Business Centre. From concept through start-up and early growth stages, the Small Business Centre is a one-stop source for information, guidance and advice on running a successful business. For information about its programs and services, visit www.sbcentre.ca.