Robert James Salon was bustling with activity this morning in its new location on East Main Street. Almost a month after closing its downtown storefront of 11 years, the salon is up and running again in the Woolworth building today following three weeks of renovations.
“We were hoping that we could open as fast as we could,” said owner Ray Pickersgill. “We love our customers. We didn’t want to lose any of them. And we haven’t,” he added. Though the salon’s reopening has taken a little longer than expected, Pickersgill says his stylists are “booked solid” today.
“We’re just happy to be open again,” he said.
At 2,100 square feet, the salon’s new location at 134 East Main Street is much smaller than its former one across the street, which was more than triple its size. But Pickersgill said the former storefront was too large for his needs, and he had been considering a smaller space for a while.
“When the economy was great, we needed every inch,” he said. “But when the economy went bad, it didn’t work out anymore. It was too much. People don’t want to go to a salon that looks empty.”
That didn’t seem like it would be a problem this morning in the Woolworth building, where stylists were busy tending to customers at the salon’s new workstations. The space might be smaller, but the new location actually feels more spacious with its high, open ceilings and natural light pouring into the whole salon through an all-glass storefront.
The salon’s decorative choices reflect this. Industrial chic lighting fixtures hang from the ceiling to complement the space’s painted cement floors. The salon’s monochrome color scheme give it a more modern feel than its predecessor.
For Pickersgill, longtime president of the Riverhead Business Improvement District Management Association, it was important that the salon stay downtown. “We’ve been downtown for a little over 11 years,” he said. “Our customer base is here. We’ve grown a kinship with the people here. It’s not like a strip mall – you can walk next-door and see your neighbors.”
Pickersgill owns the salon with his wife Margaret and his daughter Lisa, who is also the salon’s head stylist. Robert James Salon is open Tuesday through Sunday. Their phone number is 631-208-8155.
RiverheadLOCAL photos by Katie Blasl
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