Villagers Jason and Esther Laveck hosted a grand opening of their new hair salon — “In Salon,” located at 120 Dayton St. — on Saturday, June 8, during the villagewide Street Fair. (Photo by El Mele)
New in Yellow Springs — In Salon’s downtown ‘dos
- Published: June 11, 2024
By El Mele
A new hair salon is moving “In” on Dayton Street.
In Salon — short for the business’ tagline, “Inclusivity, Independence and Inspiration” — is now located at 120 Dayton St. and, in addition to offering salon services, will also feature a small boutique.
A grand opening event for In Salon was held Saturday, June 8, during the villagewide Street Fair.
In Salon’s owners, Esther and Jason Laveck — originally from Xenia and Springfield, respectively — have been residents of the village for four years. During the pandemic in 2020, they moved from Bellbrook to Yellow Springs in search of a safe, like-minded community to raise their three children, the couple told the News last week.
Esther Laveck has worked in salons for 13 years and Jason Laveck is currently in cosmetology school. Five years ago, Esther Laveck opened 937 Salon and Spa in Kettering, where she is currently the owner and master stylist, and Jason Laveck is co-owner and manager. Together, they oversee a staff of 13: four stylists, three nail techs, three estheticians, two receptionists, as well as one contracted stylist.
The Lavecks told the News they aim to bring to In Salon many of the services and guiding principles already in place at 937 Salon. In addition to offering haircuts, color and styling, as well as waxing, eyebrow tinting and manicures and pedicures, 937 Salon is carbon-neutral, and works with GreenCircle Salons as a Certified Sustainable Salon, recycling everything from hair to foil with bleach that would not otherwise be recyclable.
Just as they are at 937 Salon, all services at In Salon will be gender-neutral, with prices for haircuts being based on hair-length rather than gender to create an inclusive, non-discriminatory environment.
Esther Laveck said that, though there are no community events planned yet for In Salon, she looks forward to the opportunity to host fundraisers and other events at In Salon, just as 937 Salon has done in the past. Fundraisers and pay-what-you-want events to benefit area nonprofits at 937 Salon have included Have A Gay Day in Dayton. The salon also provided hairstyling for students attending A Night Under The Stars in Fairborn, a homecoming dinner and dance for transgender people who may not have been able to attend their own homecoming dances at school.
In addition to bringing a lot of the principles and values of 937 Salon to In Salon, Esther Laveck said she is particularly excited about the small boutique that can be found on the right as you enter the salon, surrounded by a groovy orange mural hand-painted by Laveck herself.
The selection of sustainable items offered in the boutique has been curated by Laveck, all of which she said she uses herself, and which includes upcycled clothes from American Recycled Clothing, located in Los Angeles, California, and reusable paper towels from Marley’s Monsters, located in Eugene, Oregon. It will also carry R+Co and Cult+King products, the two haircare brands that will be used in the salon that come in refillable glass bottles.
“I’m a firm believer in brands that care about the environment,” Laveck said.
When asked what she was excited most about with regard to opening In Salon, Laveck said she really wants to meet more people. Having moved to the village during the pandemic and working in Kettering, her ability to get to know people in the local community has been limited, and she hopes to use her job and something she loves — cutting hair — to expand that ability.
“I actually just booked an appointment with one of my neighbors I’ve never met before,” Laveck said.
She added that she also likes the idea of being able to work up the street from Mills Lawn, where two of her children attend school, rather than a half-hour away in Kettering.
In Salon currently has one cosmetologist specializing in short hair grooming and clipper cuts lined up, and the business is looking to hire three more contracted stylists, preferably including a barber and a specialty hair stylist. However, In Salon is specifically looking to hire a braiding artist. Laveck said locals have reached out to In Salon about referrals for a braiding artist, and they unfortunately do not have anyone to refer them to.
“Salons are very segregated — you have white salons and you have Black salons,” Laveck said. “I don’t understand why there aren’t braiding artists, short hair stylists, curly hair specialists along with your typical hair stylists all under one roof. It has always been a goal of mine to make sure we have inclusive pricing and services, because that’s how you get everyone under one umbrella.”
Laveck said she also looks forward to having an entirely contracted staff at In Salon — versus having employees, like at 937 Salon — which will allow her to work with staff more creatively.
“At 937, I’m more like a boss, so it will be nice to be able to collaborate with the stylists we bring in,” she said.
In Salon’s grand opening will be Saturday, June 8, during Street Fair. The business will hold limited hours for the month of June, as Esther Laveck will be the sole stylist until staffing is finalized in July. Jason Laveck will also join the staff of In Salon and 937 Salon, once he finishes cosmetology school next January.
For more information on the Laveck’s salons, go to http://www.insalonys.com and http://www.937salonandspa.com.
*The author is a student at Antioch College and a freelance reporter for the News.
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