DERBY – Twin sisters Liz and Jess Arrindell recently moved their beauty empire in Shelton to Derby.
Their salon, Luscious & Co., moved to 155 New Haven Ave. (Route 34) in Derby in June after 12 years in downtown Shelton. They also have a Luscious & Co. salon in New Canaan.
They said the new Derby location is larger and has more parking. It was formerly home to On Time Screen Printing, an extensive remodeling was done to convert the space into a 3,700 beauty salon.
Here is an emailed Q & A with the sisters. It has been condensed and edited.
VIS:
What kind of renovations were involved?
The Arrindells Sisters:
We nearly gutted the entire interior, but one of the things we loved about the building from the beginning was its natural light and all of its existing windows. Rather than designing around what the building wasn’t, we tried to preserve what was already beautiful about it. Some of the windows that once belonged to individual offices, for example, became part of our shampoo areas, creating these really peaceful, light-filled spaces for our guests.
Almost everything else was touched: flooring, electrical, sheetrock, plumbing, HVAC and even the staircase leading to our lower level. We were able to design an indoor processing lounge, a private client room, education and training space, a team break room and four bathrooms, including two new first-floor bathrooms designed for ADA accessibility.
One of my favorite details is that we brought two of our original signature chandeliers from Shelton and reinstalled them in Derby. We wanted pieces of our history to come with us.
The investment continued outside as well. The building was painted, windows were replaced, the parking lot was repaved, landscaping and exterior lighting were added, and we created a new patio where our guests and team can spend time outside.
VIS:
How long did renovations take and what kind of investment did you make?
Arrindells:
Renovations took six months. It was an incredibly ambitious timeline for the amount of work the building needed, and it took many people working together to make our June move possible. It was an extraordinary investment and, by far, the largest we’ve ever made. The transformation was a partnership between Luscious & Co and the property owner, so I wouldn’t want to attach one number to a project that wasn’t solely ours to disclose. It was an enormous investment. But more than anything, it was an investment in our next decade here in the Valley.
VIS:
What services do you offer?
Arrindells:
We continue to offer everything our guests have come to know us for: custom color and blonding, haircuts, hair rehab and corrective work. We’ve also become known for our expertise in hair extensions, and Derby allows us to take that work deeper.
Many of our color, blonding, corrective and extension appointments require a guest to spend several hours with us. We thought a lot about what we’re really asking of a woman when she gives us that much of her day, and we designed around it. Beyond convenient parking, we created a dedicated processing lounge and patio where guests can work, eat, get some fresh air and sunshine or simply take a break.
We have dedicated education space designed to reach beyond Luscious & Co. We’re also developing Masters, an educational series designed to help newly graduated professionals bridge the space between cosmetology school and building a successful, long-term career behind the chair.
VIS:
Have most of your former clients followed you to Derby?
Arrindells:
They really did, and we don’t take that for granted. We had started feeling the impact of our parking challenges in Shelton nearly two years before the move. Some guests were visiting less frequently simply because getting in and out had become difficult, and we knew we needed to solve that.
What has happened since moving to Derby has been incredibly encouraging. Not only did so many of our longtime guests make the move with us, we’ve welcomed back guests we hadn’t seen in some time and met many new ones from Derby and the surrounding Valley.
VIS:
What are the salon hours?
Arrindells:
We are open Tuesday through Saturday, with hours designed around our guests’ scheduling needs: Tuesday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. With a large team (23 employees) and a range of stylist levels, we’re able to offer guests a variety of scheduling, experience and price-point options throughout the week.
VIS:
What else haven’t I asked that you think is important to the story?
Arrindells:
We all have something we’re meant to give in this lifetime, and not everyone is lucky enough to discover a way to make that their life’s work. For us, and for so many of the people on our team, that thing is serving others. Hair happens to be the way we’re privileged to do it, but the deepest part of what we love has always been taking care of people. It’s why we do this work.
So yes, from the outside, Derby is a beautiful new salon, and we certainly can’t wait for you to enjoy it. But to us, it represents something much deeper.
Sometimes the answer isn’t the ending you feared or even the outcome you were praying for. Sometimes the answer is more room to become what you were always meant to be.
We’re incredibly grateful that ours gets to happen right here in the Valley.