New hair salon clipping away during first month Angles on Route 1 doing a brisk business in a short time

Staff Writer

By dave goldberg

New hair salon clipping away during first month
Angles on Route 1
doing a brisk business
in a short time


VERONICA YANKOWSKI  Hairstylist and co-owner Wanda Sutton works on a client’s hair at the recently opened Angles Hair Design in North Brunswick on Route 1.VERONICA YANKOWSKI Hairstylist and co-owner Wanda Sutton works on a client’s hair at the recently opened Angles Hair Design in North Brunswick on Route 1.

NORTH BRUNSWICK — The newly opened Angles Hair Design salon on Route 1 got off to a fast start and continues to do well just a month after opening.

"Our business officially opened Oct. 1, and since the day we opened, business has been great," said co-owner and North Brunswick resident Dawn Matthews.

Angles is owned by Matthews, along with New Brunswick resident, Wanda Sutton, and Milltown resident, Diane Clark, who are both sisters.

The three owners had worked at a salon in New Brunswick, and prior to that, Sutton and Clark had worked at another New Brunswick salon. They decided it was time to move on.

"We were feeling complacent, and thought of not working for someone else," Matthews said. "We wanted to move on to something different. I wanted to be in a place where the three of us were owners."

Sutton said that the choice of North Brunswick has helped increase their clientele.

"This has been very exciting and also is very busy," Sutton said. "Many of our clients have followed us here. I feel like I have been here a year; things have progressed so fast. At Angles there is a good atmosphere that makes everyone feel comfortable; everyone is so friendly. North Brunswick is definitely a good choice; getting here is no problem. We are off a well-known, traveled highway in Route 1."

One of their clients is so happy with the work they do that she travels an hour from New York City to Angles Hair Design.

"When it comes to your hair, you need someone that you can trust," said Cynthia Frey. "I trust Wanda with my hair; I have been with her for 10 years. She does great work. There is not a time that I don’t call her the next day to thank her. I love it, and I refer people to her all the time. An hour is not a long period of time to feel beautiful."

Matthews said that one of the advantages of North Brunswick is the wide range of customers they see on a daily basis.

"New Brunswick was more of a college town," Matthews said. "Now we get more of a diverse mix. We get young, middle-aged and seniors. This has brought in a bigger group of more diversified people."

Parking in New Brunswick was much more difficult than it is in North Brunswick, according to Sutton.

"It is easier to get parking in North Brunswick than New Brunswick," Sutton said. "People often express to me that they like the way that it is easier to park. There have been people who have been with us for a long time. They are happy for us to do our own thing. This is the first time we have owned something."

Clark said that the personalities of Angles is also an advantage of the business.

"We have great personalities that are very warm and welcoming — it makes people feel good," Clark said. "The personalities that are working here and the ongoing education puts us on the cutting edge to stay on top of the business."

The decision for the three owners to start their business was something they decided in January.

"We decided to move on and follow our goal," Matthews said. "One day we just decided we were feeling complacent in where we were and decided we needed to move forward. We discussed everything in January and officially opened in October. The renovations for the building took about two months."

Matthews said she learned a great deal about running a business through courses at Brookdale Community College in the Lincroft section of Middletown.

"In January, we started educating ourselves on running a business at Brookdale Community College," Matthews said. "We learned about opening a business. We never looked back at that point. There were no questions from that point on. We worked at the Small Business Development Center where we learned how to write a business plan and how to start a small business."

The salon has experienced a great deal of growth during the month it has been open, according to Matthews.

"We have not moved backward since we opened; we continue to climb," Matthews said. "Many of our old clients couldn’t get in touch with us until we put an ad in the Yellow Pages. After that many people began to find us through the Yellow Pages and word of mouth. We have a very good staff, but there is always room for more. Currently we have six hairdressers, including me, Diane and Wanda, one manicurist, one masseuse and three receptionists."

Matthews said, during the month that they have been open, Angles has not found a great deal of competition.

"So far we are not really finding competition," Matthews said. "We have found that we are not close to other salons in town. We may have competition as time goes on."

If the salon continues to succeed, there may be plans for expansion, according to Matthews.

"I definitely have faith in making Angles a success," Matthews said. "It is becoming better than we ever expected in such a short time. There are no regrets on any of the decisions we have made. If things continue to improve, I want to concentrate on opening an Angles II and III possibly in North Brunswick and elsewhere in the state."