Today we’d like to introduce you to Larry Tow.
Larry, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I grew up in Los Angeles. To get money for college, I joined the Marine Corps. I was stationed in Camp Pendleton and I fell in love with San Diego. After I got out, I moved here permanently in 1990. After a couple of years of not knowing what to do, a friend suggested I look into hair. I thought “why not?” I got a job in La Jolla as a color assistant and it was an instant fit. For the past 24 years I’ve been doing color. I work closely with a hair cutter, Ray Alegre, for the 22 years now. We work closely together so that the client we are working on together receives the best look and customer service possible.
Has it been a smooth road?
In January of 2017, I opened my own salon with my partner Steve Rayas. It wasn’t that I was unhappy working for other people, it was time for me to grow. It was a difficult decision to leave my last job, I was there for 13 years, but I needed to take that next step. Running a business is so different, I’ve learned a lot. It’s been an incredible journey and I look forward to even more growth in 2018.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the ColorBar San Diego story. Tell us more about the business.
ColorBar San Diego is departmentalized salon. We have a hair cutting department and color department. Our hair cutters and colorist work closely together to create the perfect look for the client. I’m proud that we’ve built a team who can work so closely together, because sharing clients you have to have trust in each other. Our team also specializes in extensions, smoothing treatments, precision haircuts and vivid hair. We utilize the latest hair color products and techniques.
I know this sounds funny, but one of the biggest perks is that we have our own parking lot. It’s unheard of in Hillcrest to have free client parking.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The more the industry changes, the more it stays the same. Today’s technology allows the client to be more interactive, almost instant gratification if you will, but nothing will replace great service and talent. Keeping up with the latest apps and what not us great, but you also have to keep up on your own education.
Pricing:
- Haircuts start at $55 and go through $85
- Color starts at $90 and goes up from there depending on the service
- Consultations are always free
Contact Info:
- Address: 3830 4th Ave
San Diego, Ca
92103 - Website: colorbarsandiego.com
- Phone: 6197957070
- Email: info@colorbarsd.com
- Instagram: @colorbarsd
- Facebook: ColorBar San Diego
- Twitter: @colorbarsd
- Yelp: ColorBar San Diego
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