Business Profile: The Alyse B. Salon
By Janine Bowen
Every woman loves a day of pampering, but sometimes it’s difficult to fit a day at the salon into a busy schedule. That’s where Alyse Schiffman can help. Her business, The Alyse B. Salon, allows clients from all over Westchester, and even New Jersey and Connecticut, to receive salon quality hair care in the comfort of their own homes.
“I love catering to my clients in their own home and making them feel comfortable,” said Schiffman.
Schiffman started her business six years ago, at age 24, after nearly a decade of working in traditional salons. She knew she wanted to branch out on her own, but during a time when the economy was struggling, opening her own storefront was not an option.
“I’m very entrepreneurial and I wanted to start something on my own, but it was at the time where the economy was crashing and I couldn’t get a loan to open my own business storefront,” she explained. “This was the next best thing; going to my clients home to do their hair.”
The idea to enter into her client’s home may have been unconventional, but it took off and became an immediate success. Schiffman began by contacting the clients she had previously, at the salon, and word of her services began to spread.
“The turnout was incredible because people look at it as a luxury or a convenience,” said Schiffman.
Indeed, The Alyse B. Salon offers more convenience, as she states her hours as 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Schiffman strives to cater to all of her clients at a time that is most convenient for them, which can result in some untraditional requests. She recalled a client calling her at 5 a.m. asking for a blow-out before a cross-country flight. Schiffman was surprised by the request, but was happy to oblige and help the client look her best for her business trip.
In addition to flexible hours, The Alyse B. Salon also offers one-on-one service that patrons of a traditional salon don’t receive. Schiffman is essentially a one-woman business and, although she has assistants who help with events like weddings, she is the only one to visit client’s homes. She handles all steps of the hair care process herself, instead of having separate people to wash and blow dry, as in salons.
Schiffman believes the one-on-one service she provides helps her clients to feel more comfortable and allows them to feel at ease to request the hair style they really want.
“In a salon, they could feel the pressure of trying to keep up with the Joneses [by] looking at the person next to them…and be influenced incorrectly when they’re not in the comfort of their own home,” she said.
Schiffman also believes the one-on-one experience allows her to get to know her clients on a deeper level and become their friend.
The Alyse B. Salon offers a wide array of services, from keratin straightening to braids or pony tails, at a variety of prices, but anybody who wants to cut 10 or more inches of their hair with the intention of making a donation to Locks of Love, will receive a free haircut.
“It’s a great cause. They’re helping children who have alopecia and cancer…it’s phenomenal,” Schiffman said of the organization she has been working with for 10 years.
Going forward, Schiffman hopes to expand her business by booking more weddings and photo shoots and hiring more stylists to help reach to more clients. She hopes to guide her business towards event services while still catering to her client base in their homes.
“I’m just looking to make people feel comfortable and happy with themselves,” she said.
Anybody wishing to make an appointment with The Alyse B. Salon, or learn more about the services offered, can visit alysebsalon.com or call 914-400-7927.
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.
