Salon owner Lori Hoyt has sleek plans for your hair

SALISBURY — “Perms are so yesterday!� Lori Hoyt proclaimed, while sitting in her newly decorated salon, the eponymous Lori Hoyt & Co.

Nestled next to the National Iron Bank on Route 44, it’s not in a high-pedestrian-traffic area, but you might have already spotted the salon’s bright sign while driving by (just look for that  Tiffany blue background and discreet brown lettering).

So what’s in this season? “Three words: sporty, texture and ease,� Hoyt said. “No one takes out a curling iron anymore. Some people don’t even own hair dryers, they don’t have time!�

And what’s so out? High prices, naturally.

Hoyt is all about bringing hair back to the people, and is ready to revitalize the community with New York City style at Salisbury prices. And how to achieve that NewYork City look? Hoyt has more than a few secrets to share. “It’s all about technical style, using cutting styles instead of over-treatment.�

Hoyt may be a trained technician of her craft, but the goal is for her clients to be able to get that “just stepped out of the salon� look every day. She includes a client consultation as part of each visit and sells products tailored to suit a hectic schedule. “Easy, simple. You can do it with just product support. I want to show them ‘You can do this!’�

A graduate of the Paul Mitchell Institute in San Diego, Calif.,  and licensed here in Connecticut, Hoyt has trained in advanced color and styling with the Kune Institute in the Netherlands. Northern Europe, it seems, plays a big part in the new features Hoyt wants to bring to the area —with the help of her partner,  stylist Kellie Parsons, who worked with master hair stylist Peter Alvarez and Il Makiage Cosmetics.

It’s not just hair that Lori Hoyt and Co. is revitalizing but make-up as well. Once again, the Netherlands are the source: Iredale Mineral Cosmetics is the brand Hoyt touts — and it’s available here only through her. “It’s so wonderful!� she said of the product line.

“It’s the only make-up that’s FDA-approved,� her husband chimed in.

United Cosmetics is another brand Hoyt will be working with — and another Netherlands import, though that’s “just a coincidence.� she said.

When asked whether she’s nervous about opening during an economic downturn Hoyt shook her head with vigor. “I was energized by it. It made me want to dig my heels in more.�

She has a lot of plans for saving her customers money, including loyalty prizes for frequent clients and a special shelf reserved for the local business of the month: getting your hair cut will also get you a discount from that company. The first partner in this venture is Little Gates Wine Merchants in Millerton.

Hoyt wants to integrate small businesses and “power through� the current fiscal climate.

“If we can’t network each other we’re not going to make it,� she said.

The salon is open Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. with walk in’s welcome. Prices range start at $40 for cuts, $75 to $100 for color.

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