Blacksmith Parlour seeking new ownership

Steven Zacharuk nailed it and now he’s moving on.

The 35-year-old entrepreneur is selling Blacksmith Parlour. His asking price for the Winnipeg salon, which specializes in men’s grooming needs, is $142,500.

Located at 289 Garry St., Blacksmith Parlour offers hair removal services and hand and foot treatments in a setting that features oversized leather chairs, TVs and a selection of spirits and beer, as well as non-alcoholic beverages.

Featuring a rustic industrial feel and low lighting, the salon opened for business in February 2017. Its slogan is “Nails for males.”

Zacharuk says it’s the first establishment of its kind in Canada to offer a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere for men to receive treatments that are often stereotyped as being only for women.

The entrepreneur put Blacksmith Parlour up for sale earlier this month because he wants to focus on other business ventures. He moved to Langley, B.C., in 2024, which has made managing the Winnipeg salon challenging.

“I wasn’t able to give the business all that it deserves. It has tons of potential, and if someone can just invest a little bit of time and effort to grow it, I think there’s a lot of opportunity there,” Zacharuk said.

The business has loyal customers and a client database that includes 7,700 people, Zacharuk said. It’s received more than 200 Google reviews with an average rating of 4.8 out of five stars.

“We really strive for good customer service and to make sure that everyone leaves the salon 100 per cent satisfied,” Zacharuk said.

The entrepreneur left his civil engineering job to pursue the venture. He aimed to create a space where men would not feel intimidated or uncomfortable getting their hands and feet looked after.

Women have always been welcome, too, said Zacharuk, adding Blacksmith Parlour’s sales have been steady in recent years.

“There’s still a lot of people in Winnipeg that don’t know we exist, so I feel like a proper marketing push just to get the name out there would be very beneficial.”

The space also includes a separate barbershop area operating on a chair-rental model.

Revenue in Canada’s hair and nail salon industry has been growing at a compound annual growth rate of 4.2 per cent to an estimated $6 billion over the last five years, according to IBISWorld.

Deborah Miller has worked in the beauty industry for 40 years. She said men are increasingly seeking salon treatments.

Skin is the body’s largest organ and good estheticians educate their clients on how to take care of it, she added.

“Facials, back facials, massaging, manicures, pedicures are absolutely a must (for people) living in Manitoba,” said Miller, an instructor at the Canadian Beauty Academy in Winnipeg. “We all need these services to maintain health.”

In addition to his involvement with Blacksmith Parlour, Zacharuk owns Perimeter Transport, a trucking company that operates in B.C. and Manitoba.

aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca