By Kellie Speed Mar. 8th, 2011

Laurie Santoro and Cristina Viselli had always known they wanted to open their own salon together but taking a risk and opening one in a down economy was not something they planned. Last year, the two friends, and hairstylists, decided it was time, albeit a risky one, and opened Viselli Santoro Salon on Newbury Street.

"Cristina was always the driving force behind the idea of opening our own salon," Santoro said. "It was a big thing. She came to me in May of 2010 and said she saw this as a good opportunity to go out on our own."

"I had always wanted to be a hairdresser but my father wasn't for the idea," Santoro said. "I used to go to hair appointments with my mother as a child and really wanted to do it when I got older. My father told me to go to college so I did and majored in psychology and fine arts with a minor in business. I had signed up to get my master's degree but decided to go to hair school in Rochester, New York instead."

Her father still wasn't happy with her decision to go to hair school but once she finished, she deiced to move to Boston where she met Cristina at James Joseph Salon. "We worked there for seven years," she said. "At that point, we both knew it was time to move on so we started looking at spaces. Both of our husbands are contractors so we found a space on Newbury Street that had been a former salon so it was already set up to be a hair studio.

"They both helped build out the interior for us so we didn't have to take out a huge loan. The opportunity really presented itself to us at the time."

In less than a year, they have grown to seven stylists, each with a different talent. "If you want a Mohawk, blue hair, traditional style or contemporary cut, we have someone here who can do that for you," Santoro said. "On April 2, we are having a party where we are inviting our clients in for a night of appreciation. We also offer blow dry classes and other classes where our clients can learn how to style.

While Santoro knows the risks of opening a salon on Newbury Street certainly had its risks, she was confident she and her partner would succeed. "I knew it would be really risky but we had the client base already and the talent so I knew we would make it work," she said. "At the salon, we try to create an atmosphere where anyone can walk in the door and we can accommodate them. Right now, we are looking to get a stylist who can do ethnic hair."

Viselli Santoro Salon
297 Newbury Street
Boston, Massachusetts 02116
857.350.4856
www.visellisantorosalon.com