At Bang Salon in Denver, Colorado, they not only follow the latest trends in hair styles, but also in computers. They’ve used Macs since opening up in 1999.
“I always have felt like Mac and Apple is more artsy,” said Lisa Garcia, co-owner of the salon. “To me, there’s a specific type of person that uses Mac. People who tend to be more artsy and trendy and more what our salon is all about.”
“Nobody really walks into a salon or a business, if you’re using a PC, and says ‘Wow, that’s cool you guys use PC’s.’ They do walk in and say, ‘Wow, I love the fact that you guys use a Mac,'” Lisa said.
Bang Salon is co-owned by Lisa and Rodger Garcia, a husband and wife business team. Lisa has a background in public relations and handles business operations and is a part time stylist, while Rodger focuses on providing award winning service to his clients.
Bang, located in the trendy, upscale Washington Park neighborhood, was the recipient of the “Best of CitySearch” award for “Best of Hair Salon” for 2007-08.
When the salon opened in 1999 the brightly colored first generation iMacs had just been released. They purchased a green iMac and a blue iMac to launch with. They also chose to use Macs at their Park Hill location, which opened in 2005.
“I used to work for a PR firm,” Lisa said. “They used Macs and so that’s what I learned on. So that’s what I felt most comfortable with. Even though I tried using a PC, I just never really liked using them.”
Lisa specifically sought out software that would meet her needs on a Mac. She found Salon Transcripts [http://www.salontranscripts.com/], an application designed for use exclusively on Macs that empowers salon owners by streamlining scheduling, payroll, and inventory among other features, all in one application.
“I just feel like they’re way more advanced, as far as being trendy and you know just what we feel our salon is all about,” said Lisa.
The image that Bang Salon and Apple computers represent are synonymous: funky, cool, hip, urban, sleek, modern. That also describes the clients of Bang Salon.
From prominent local businesswomen who pay top dollar for Rodger’s expertise, to college students who get more affordable cuts from Bang’s junior stylists, the clientele is as unique as the salon and the neighborhood.
One thing the Garcia’s considered when designing the look of the salon was the visual appeal of Macs and how that fits in with the salon. Rodger was the primary designer and he incorporated elements to set the salon apart from their competition. Lime and tangerine colored walls flank the seating area which is punctuated by modern black leather couches. Their renowned iMacs sit atop a custom built reception desk and inverted triangular shaped mirrors form dual sided styling stations. All of that to show that if they look good their clients will look good too.
“Our salon is not a stagnant salon. Every time you come in there’s going to be something new, changing to keep up with the industry,” said Lisa. “That’s why we change out our Macs when new ones come out. We try to keep everything fresh and updated, the latest. We just feel like that’s really important in our industry. It’s hard and it’s expensive, but I think that’s one thing that makes us kind of stand out from other salons. We’re constantly keeping updated.”
In addition to new Macs, Bang stays competitive by always broadening the skill set of their stylists.
“With our salon, we’re very focused on education,” said Lisa. “All of our other stylists that are in the salon are continuing their education, and not in Denver. We send them to New York usually, or LA, or we’ve even gone to Europe for education.”
It is that commitment to bringing the freshest, most modern styles to Denver from the world’s fashion leaders that makes Bang Salon unique. That, and their use of Macs. But using Macs for business has other advantages as well, like reducing the expenses associated with employee training. Bang’s Wash Park location has 12 stylists and 18 employees, while their Park Hill location has six stylists and 10 employees, which totals many hours of employee training.
“I mean all of the schools that my kids have gone to, they were using Macs,” said Lisa. “So I think it’s a lot easier for people, the young people who are coming in that work our front desk. There’s very few that have said, ‘I’ve never used a Mac before.'”
But the Garcia’s don’t just use Macs for business. They also have a G5 laptop at home and some of the Salon’s old iMacs.
In addition to surfing the Net and sending email, Lisa said “I use iPhoto and iMovie. I’ve made quite a few movies. My kids love to use it to play video games.”
