Here at The Bedford Mom we love sharing about and celebrating local businesses! This month we are excited to feature MY SALON Suite Bedford, which offers turn-key suites for beauty professionals of all specialties. It’s owned by Erin Beloin, a mom in town, and her husband Brandon. Learn all about them and MY SALON Suite Bedford below!
Tell us about yourselves!
Brandon and I (Erin) are the local franchise owners for MY SALON Suite Bedford! We live in town with our two daughters, Juliette (7) and Genevieve (3). I grew up in Manchester and we moved back to the area from the Boston area in 2020. We just celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary (we tied the knot the day before Hurricane Sandy rolled in back in 2012). Over the years, I’ve rather begrudgingly adopted Brandon’s entrepreneurial spirit. He’s historically been the catalyst for our “side hustles,” but I am enthusiastically taking credit for the MY SALON Suite concept! We purchased the franchise license for our location in 2021, and we opened our doors this past February. You have probably seen our sign right next to Marshall’s at 79 South River Road in Bedford.
Tell us about MY SALON Suite Bedford!
MY SALON Suite is a salon suite franchise currently operating over 300 locations and supporting 7,000 beauty professionals nationwide. The salon suite industry is well-established in many parts of the country, and now beginning to truly take hold in New England. We offer turn-key suites for beauty professionals of all specialties- cosmetologists, barbers, estheticians, nail technicians, makeup artists, and medical aesthetics professionals to name a few. Each member is an independent business and salon owner with the State of New Hampshire, with their own four walls and a door!
What does a “day in the life” look like for you?
We spend our days supporting our members and responding to their needs- everything from hanging shelves to planning social outings/events to providing marketing opportunities. Our physical footprint is deceiving from the front- only 30 feet wide by 200 feet long! There are 36 suites total within our location, with 3 remaining for lease. As we are still looking for a few additional members, we are also typically answering phone calls and lining up tours. I also receive almost daily requests for services that I help funnel to available members. In this way I’ve become a bit of a “matchmaker” and I absolutely love this role!
What are your goals for your business in the next 3-5 years?
Our goal is to open at least one more MY SALON Suite location in New Hampshire… but are open to considering more. It’s such an exciting time in the salon suite industry as the concept expands in New England! We are also exploring creative strategies to promote additional revenue streams for our members. We see ourselves as so much more than “landlords.” We truly feel like partners, supporting our members as they grow their revenues, profits, and lives.
What are your favorites local spots in town?
We are sponsors of GREET Bedford, and we absolutely love the community we’ve discovered with this publication. We rotate our monthly quarter page ad, featuring a different member each time. We also print the ad for a sandwich board out on the sidewalk. But beyond the ad itself, we’ve found a family in all of the other small business contacts within the GREET Bedford network. Huge shoutout to Leah Bellemore of Vine32 Wine + Graze Bar, who recently opened her doors to us for our first MY SALON Suite Bedford book club meeting… and Manessa Lins, who added an extra level of “festive” to our October “Trick or Suite” event with a customized “Card My Yard” setup.
What is your best piece of advice for people looking to start a business?
My first best piece of advice for any business owner is to network, network, network. Talk about your business multiple times, every day. I’ve mentioned MY SALON Suite at drive-through windows, at kids’ birthday parties, in line at the grocery store, and even in a johnny gown and stirrups at the OB/GYN (kid you NOT!). My second best piece of advice is to mentally prepare for rejection. We’ve done almost 200 tours, and we have just over 30 members. That’s a whole lot of “nos.” At first rejection was difficult, but over time I’ve honestly learned to find joy simply in meeting people, hearing their stories, and exploring how we might collaborate. Whether or not a meeting develops into a business relationship, I love widening our circle of contacts.
How can people connect with you and follow your business?
Follow us on FB (MY SALON Suite Bedford) and IG @mysalonsuitebedford. Our website (https://www.mysalonsuite.com/bedford/) is a great resource for exploring our member offerings and booking appointments. Also reach out anytime to me directly at ebeloin@mysalonsuite.com.
What services does MY SALON Suite Bedford offer?
MY SALON Suite is the right place for anyone looking to feel cared for and refreshed. Our members offer a full array of beauty services, including hair cuts/color/styling, barbering, hair extensions, perms, keratin treatments, braiding, facials, waxing, lash/brow services, microblading, lash extensions, natural/gel/acrylic manicures and pedicures, dermal fillers, botox, and more. It’s literally a one-stop beauty shop (believe me, I know from experience!). The individual spaces promote relaxation because guests literally have one-on-one attention and privacy. One of my favorite things is when I see members “sneaking” into one another’s suites for services- they love to promote and pamper one another. It’s truly a community!
What makes MY SALON Suite stand out from other salons and spas in the area?
MY SALON Suite is very different from a traditional salon/spa environment. We literally have 36 “mini” salons under one roof. We don’t have a receptionist- guests connect with their beauty professional using a digital screen in the lobby. Our members generally work on an appointment model, and it’s less of a “walk-in” situation. That being said, we often receive texts/calls from the lobby and we do our best to accommodate for same-day services. Some of our members can be available within a matter of hours-days. Others are booking out several weeks/months. The good news is that with so many entrepreneurs in one space, we are often able to make the magic happen when it comes to appointments. The best way to connect with a particular member is to reference their contact information on our website (https://www.mysalonsuite.com/bedford/).