Charleswood salon has all the trimmings

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This article was published 29/10/2013 (1425 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A mother-daughter duo wants to cut your hair.

Gail Smerchynski and her daughter, Amanda, are the proud new owners of Cortex Hair Salon at 4-5606 Roblin Blvd. The Smerchynskis, along with third hairstylist Debbie Collins, opened their salon to the public on Sept. 4, but will have a grand opening ceremony on Nov. 2 with cake, coffee, and customer appreciation deals, such as half-price haircuts for new clients and free protein treatments for existing clients. There will also be draws. The event takes place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and people can come and go as they please.

The celebration is well-deserved. Gail said she and her daughter experienced many challenges building their own business, starting with finding the perfect location.

"I didn’t want to go into a space and start renovating from scratch," she said. "I was looking for an abandoned hair salon, in a strip mall, with perfect parking, and had all the ventilation requirements."

Finding her perfect spot took a while. Smerchynski started her search in 2008. She experienced a long string of disappointments until she and a friend took a wrong turn onto Roblin Boulevard during a drive. There, Smerchynski saw a space which was up for rent, and the rest is history.

"We renovated the whole place ourselves, we didn’t hire anyone," Smerchynski said. "We negotiated the lease. We had the lawyer come in and tie it up for us."

Smerchynski said the business relationship with her daughter has been going well.

"It’s lots of fun," Smerchynski said.

The proud mother said Amanda, 25, had shown interest in and potential for hairstyling since she was a young girl.

"By the time she was two, she would go to every hair show with me," Smerchynski said. "She’d come out of her room at age six or seven with a full French braid, and I’d be like, ‘how do you do that?’ I couldn’t believe she could do that."

Cortex Hair Salon is open Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The salon is closed on Sundays and Mondays.

Haircuts start from $35, including styling. Men’s cuts start at $20. Colouring starts at $45. Cortex Hair Salon also offers facial waxing.

For more information, call the salon at 204-504-0767 or visit its Facebook page.

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