SPECIAL REPORT: FROM FARAWAY LANDSBusiness

Salon owner is face of India’s business

By: Emily Craighead
   PLAINSBORO — Reeya’s Beauty Salon reflects the cultural makeup of its owner, Shruti Mathur, who considers herself 60 percent American and 40 percent Indian.
   Her business plan does not target one ethnic group or another, but the salon does offer uniquely Indian services, such as bridal preparations and herbal facials.
   "It’s a give and take of both countries," says Ms. Mathur, who was born in Jaipur, India, and moved to the United States when she was 6 years old.
   The salon sits between a printer-cartridge store and a Curves fitness center in the Princeton Meadows Shopping Center on Plainsboro Road. A poster in the window advertises special promotions on haircuts and eyebrow threading.
   Inside, a few decorative touches have been added since Sept. 16, when Ms. Mathur reopened the former Hair Plus Salon as Reeya’s, named for her 2-year-old daughter. Behind the waiting area, Indian jewelry and hand-made beaded handbags sparkle in a display case.
   "My American clientele is buying it," Ms. Mathur says. "They think it’s nice, it’s different."
   A former financial analyst with a master’s degree in finance, Ms. Mathur, 33, is turning a childhood passion into a career.
   "Ever since I was little, I’ve loved hair, makeup and nails," she says.
   Neither accounting nor opening a beauty salon is a career Ms. Mathur’s parents — who, like her, were born in India — would have chosen for her. But they’re pleased with her decision to open the salon. Ms. Mathur lives near her family in Franklin Park. Her mother is an accountant, and her father is an engineer.
   "I wanted to follow in my dad’s footsteps and become an engineer, because I admired him," she says. Instead, during her undergraduate studies, she was drawn to accounting.
   Her makeup flawless, not one strand of hair out of place, and her jewelry perfectly coordinated with her bright pink shirt, Ms. Mathur smiles widely as she speaks of reaching out to the community and making a difference through her business.
   "My biggest goal is to give service beyond you walking in here for whatever you need," she says.
   Her long-term plan is to develop the salon into an upscale spa.
   Ms. Mathur owns one of about half a dozen Indian-run businesses in the shopping center, which includes the Crown of India restaurant and an Indian grocery store.
   "We all want to work together to grow our businesses," Ms. Mathur says. "Everybody’s watching out for each other."
   A growing concern among the store owners in the shopping center is sprucing up its appearance to compete with the Plainsboro Plaza Shopping Center and the up-and-coming Village Center.
   "All the owners feel there is a lot that can be done with the appearance," Ms. Mathur says.
   Although she considers herself first and foremost an American, Ms. Mathur is aware of opportunities she would not have had in India.
   "Here, there is no age limit to learn," she says. "In our country, there are restrictions on that, but here, it’s what you want to make of yourself."
   This, as well as her ability to learn from her experience and choose strong role models, will determine Ms. Mathur’s success in her most recent endeavor.