Logan Square hair salon Twisted Scissors (@TwistedScissor5, 2001 N. Point St.) has provided trendy haircuts at affordable prices for longer than most businesses in the neighborhood have been around. Since opening in 2007, the salon has seen a flurry of publicity, business from all over Chicagoland and an expansion that brought seven new stylist stations and a spa to the space in 2012.
Trendy Meets Comfortable
The Twisted Scissors concept was brought to Logan Square by stylists Anna Armes, Angela Hartman and Amber Huels, who is married to Pete Huels, the man behind Pete’s Barber Shop (@PetesBarberChi, 2873 N. Elston Ave.). The team of stylists set out to open a salon that was fun and welcoming as well as professional. Clients shouldn’t feel like they have to put on make-up just to go get their hair cut, according to Hartman.
“Our number one thing is to make people feel like they’re home,” says Hartman.
The Twisted Scissors team has created a casual space with some of their personal flair to help guests feel at home. The walls are covered with framed work from local artists. Decorations like a punk-rocker mannequin lend themselves to a vintage rock-and-roll vibe. The 2012 expansion connected the original salon with the apartment unit next door, which they had to re-zone for business. Once complete, the salon had a living room-like waiting area with a large couch, pillows and coffee table, a kitchen where stylists could brew coffee or pour a glass of wine for clients and a spa area for facials and waxing services.
New stylists are taught that their work is like hosting a party and clients are like their guests.
“You light candles, you dust, you sweep, you make it as cute, warm and comfortable as you can,” says Hartman.
The Twisted Scissors stylists see clients from all walks of life, including hip, young professionals from the neighborhood as well as older, more conservative clients. Some clients even travel from the suburbs to get access to talented stylists at a reasonable price.
Since opening in 2007, the salon has struggled to keep up with demand, with a healthy presence in the media bolstering a steady addition of new clients in the years that followed. They outgrew their space within their first year, so they added two stylists’ stations to accommodate the rush. The salon is now equipped with 13 stations since the expansion was completed in August 2012.
Product Of The Community
Huels and Hartman met waiting tables together in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and were both planning to move to Chicago. Once there, they ended up working at the same salon, where they met Armes. The trio shared some disappointment with the level of professionalism they saw at work, so the salon’s top three stylists decided to team up to see what they could do on their own.
The partners had friends who were finding cheap rent in Logan Square, so they looked into the area and liked the proximity to public transportation, the plentiful parking and the safe feeling of the neighborhood.
“Logan Square was definitely not Logan Square at the time,” says Hartman. Many of the businesses that populate the neighborhood today had yet to open, and Hartman recalls eating Brown Sack (@thebrownsack, 3581 W. Belden Ave.) nearly every day, as it was their only option for food.
In a way, Twisted Scissors is a product of its own community. Unable to get a business loan, the partners used their combined life savings to open the salon and relied on found items, free supplies and bartering with clients to get everything they needed in the beginning. Free cuts and colors were exchanged for window curtains, fliers, artwork and business cards.
“These people [who made a contribution] take pride in Twisted now too,” says Hartman. “They feel like they have a part of it.”
Twisted Bazaar
The salon hosts events twice a year to raise money for Children With Hair Loss. The upcoming Twisted Bazaar fundraiser on June 14, a circus themed party at the salon that will include acts performed by local artists and homemade goods from local vendors, will also serve as their fourth customer appreciation night. From 2 to 6 pm guests can come by to enjoy live DJs and face painting, with beer and fresh juice on tap, and the opportunity to make a donation to Children With Hair Loss.
Twisted Scissors is open Monday through Friday from 11 am – 8 pm, Saturdays from 10 am – 5 pm and Sundays from 12 pm – 7 pm.
Photo: Angela Hartman
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