Business Profile: La Petite Salon, Carmel
Lia Iossa wants to offer women big city looks, but at a price that Putnam County residents are used to, which is why she opened La Petite Salon.
After opening two months ago, Iossa is set on bringing an upscale hair salon to the area while charging customers affordable rates. Iossa seeks to style a women’s hair similar to if that client got her hair done in Westchester and Manhattan, describing her business as a “boutique salon” with the beautiful view of Lake Gleneida as a backdrop.
A haircut at her salon is $40; down in Westchester it could be upwards of $80.
“It’s bringing something sophisticated to this area,” Iossa said. “I feel like a lot of people travel outside of Putnam County to get their hair done whether it be Connecticut or Westchester because there’s no where to get your hair done around here.”
When Iossa was 16, she nailed down her first hair styling job and a little later on went to New York City for beauty school. From there, she started working in Westchester and had been there for ten years. The idea of running her own business never crossed her mind until recently.
One her clients, who is a real estate agent, pushed her to start her own salon. The client sent her some listing and Iossa immediately fell in love with the location she currently occupies.
“It really wasn’t my plan to be the boss but I actually saw this space and I had a vision and it just kind of snowballed from there, Iossa said. “I just wanted to do something different.”
Iossa said being her own boss has been enjoyable. The most strenuous aspect was getting the salon ready and making Iossa’s vision of what she wants in a salon come to life. It took six months of renovations to put everything into place. But now that she’s simply working on clients since opening the doors, she’s “back in the swing of things.”
Iossa has a wealth of hair styling knowledge. A different shade of color in a client’s hair or a fresh haircut can make a big difference. A person can have the worst day, Iossa said, and one blow-drying session can change everything.
“If you look good, you feel good,” Iossa said. “I definitely want people to look their best so they feel their best.”
Iossa said there are things a person can do everyday that can be better or worse for their hair.
For instance, shampooing should be done at the scalp and conditioning at the ends of hair. People should also avoid rubbing their hair with a towel because it will break the hair.
Although Iossa started out never wanting to run an entire salon, she knows the younger version of herself is proud, and would be saying, “You did it and usually what you least expect will usually happen so be prepared for the unexpected.”
“I’m definitely in my element right now,” she said. “I’m just so happy to be giving people what they want.”
La Petite Salon is located at 1701 Route 6 in Carmel. For new clients, there’s a 20 percent discount for color service or haircut. La Petite is a L’Oreal salon.
