ist magazine September 2022

Salon of Distinction

THREE DECADES & Counting! Sun Seekers Portsmouth, NH By Joe Schuster T his month’s Sun is Life® Salon of Distinction® comes fromNew Hampshire, “The Granite State” named for its substantial granite formations and quarries. Sun Seekers’ Owner Robert Ashe has been making it happen in the tan biz for over 30 years, enduring and surviving many of the economic fluctuations that affect our industry. Perhaps the perseverance is apropos; maybe it’s testament to the intestinal fortitude of those from The Granite State! I had a wonderful conversation with Robert and his Salon Manager, Megan Lozouski, so let’s dig into the interview and find out what makes Sun Seekers our Salon of Distinction.

IST: Robert, everyone has a story of how they got started in the tanning business. What’s your backstory? Did you “fall into it” like many of us have, or was it a strategic plan? RA: I fell into it. I had previously owned another business that offered some tanning services on the side for extra revenue. We were pretty successful with it, but knew we could do better. One day, my competitor approached me about buying him out, so I did. That was 1996. IST: Wow! That’s quite a history as you move into your fourth decade. You’ve no doubt gone through some good and not so good times. The pandemic certainly impacted many small businesses; how did Sun Seekers survive over the last two years? How do the “numbers” compare with this time last year? RA: Joe, it hit pretty hard as we had to close the salon for 63 days. When we reopened, we definitely took a hit. Our client base is on the older side, so we didn’t see many of our regulars come in for their vacation tans. With people still worried about COVID, we had a rough time getting back on our feet but thankfully, we survived. Numbers for 2021 were comparable to 2019 numbers and 2022 was going along pretty good, but midsum mer numbers, as with many salons, have seen a definite downturn. We have enough money set aside to weather this through.

OWNER • Robert Ashe YEARS IN BUSINESS • 31 STAFF • 6 UV TANNING UNITS • 11 OTHER SERVICES • Norvell Spray-Tans, Lumiere Red-Light, My Lipo LOTION BRANDS • Devoted Creations BEST-SELLING LOTIONS • Devoted Creations Indigo Illusion MOST POPULAR TANNING PACKAGE

(L-R) Megan, Julianna & Erika are trained spray-tan technicians.

• 8 Visit Level 3 SOFTWARE • Tan-Link TRAINING • Sun is Life® Certification

DISTRIBUTOR PARTNERS • Superior UV/Ultraviolet Resources International, James Whipple & Gina Palazzolo

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September 2022