IONIA — On Feb. 3, 2007, Jack Manciu took occupancy of 320 W. Main St. as Manciu's Main Street Salon Barber & Spa. Eleven years later, he has retired as salon owner and sold the business to Joanne Hayes Six, longtime operator and leader. “Jo has always been the steam behind the engine. Anyone else owning it just wouldn’t seem right,” said Manciu.
The foundation of Main Street Salon has always been continued and advanced education. Joanne Hayes Six said she has no intention of letting up on the core values on which the business was built. Superior customer service, knowledge, skill, and educating their clients earned their team three No. 1 spots in Best of Ionia County in 2016, she said.
From the Grand Rapids area, Hayes Six has always felt at home in the professional community of Ionia and wanted to bring big city culture to a small town. “My own childhood friends and family were never happy with their hair and would travel as far as they had to to see me. It was because of one of them that I was put in touch with Jack Manciu in 2005,” she said. That connection led to a solid business relationship built on faith and respect, according to Hayes Six. “He had faith I could operate his business, and I respected his authority as the owner and his positions with IPS,” she said.
Manciu and wife retired recently from Ionia Public Schools. As they looked forward to the next chapter of their lives, a change was in the horizon for the salon. Timing played a role for both parties, and as the salon’s 11th anniversary approached, the time for change felt right for them.
Clients and the community can expect to hear a lot of great things, and see even more hard work, come from the new Salon 6. Hayes Six said she was often asked in the weeks leading up to the transfer if she was going to change the name. “Legally we had to, but I would have anyway,” she said. “We will need to stand out even more now, because Manciu’s will be a tough act to follow.”
Hayes Six said the decision about the name came from the support her husband has given her to work in an industry that doesn’t feel like a job. Creativity, flexibility and the ability to make others feel beautiful is very fulfilling, Hayes Six said. “And I always seem to have six employees,” she added, laughing. “The name, and our future, can go anywhere we want to take it.”
Salon 6 will be celebrating its official opening with a ribbon cutting and refreshments at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 2, and everyone is invited.
