A cut above the rest

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This article was published 18/11/2019 (2341 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In local hairdressing circles, they could easily be dubbed the famous five.

The five in question are Pat Potenza, Michele Santarsieri, Tony Santarsieri, Rocco Macchia, and Pasquale Martino — the founding members of St. Vital Unisex, Aura Hair Group’s flagship salon, which was one of the original tenants of St. Vital Centre, when it first opened its doors in October 1979.

The Santarsieri brothers and Macchia still live in the city, while Martino has since moved to B.C. Potenza died in 2017.

The salon is marking its 40th anniversary this year, and the founding members and their families want to say a collective thank-you to everyone that has supported the group as its empire of salons and barbershops has grown across Winnipeg, and now employs more than 350 stylists.   

      
Potenza, the Santarsieris, Macchia, and Martino emigrated from Italy. Armed with a dream, dedication to their craft, a strong work ethic, and a passion for what they do, the quintet began growing their business and establishing other locations, including Aura Hair Salon, Sets Hair Salon (in Vancouver), Revolutions Salon + Spa, Esquire Barber Shop (in Coquitlam, B.C.), and Modern Man Barber Shop.

Michele Santarsieri told The Lance he arrived in Winnipeg in 1964 and had a chance meeting with Macchia at a movie theatre. As it turned out, the pair could tell from each other’s dialect that they came from nearby areas in their native Italy. They became fast friends. And while there were various twists and turns before the five founders set up shop in St. Vital 40 years ago, the legacy that’s been created leaves the Santarsieris and Macchia with pride and gratitude.

When asked about the secret of their success, Santarsieri said it’s down, in part, to a relatively simple formula. “Good staff, and good and loyal clients,” he said, noting that mutual respect has also gone a long way.

“As independent guys, we all came here from another country and worked hard. It’s all grown through the loyalty of our staff, because if you don’t hold your employees to a high standard of respect, you can’t expect to get it back,” Santarsieri said.

“Our legacy has also been built on the owner-operator principle. If you’re there every day, you can deal with problems. The most important thing is that it’s been family-run since the day we opened,” he added, emphasizing the business wouldn’t be where it is today without the support of the founders’ extended family and community members, and especially the founders’ wives.

“We’ve had greatly supportive wives. We’ve all worked lots of long hours through the years, and our wives have been very understanding,” Santarsieri said, noting some of the founders keep their hand in on a part-time basis.

To celebrate the landmark anniversary, the company is offering a number of promotions and giveaways. Go online at aurahairgroup.com for more information.