Seattle ex pat has big plans for Kent salon

You might say that salon owner Wade Schwartz got railroaded out of his previous location.

Well, monorailed, actually.

But Seattle’s loss is Kent’s gain as after a few years away from the hair business, Schwartz has decided to reopen in downtown Kent with a new salon and plans to expand.

Schwartz opened the Blanc N Schwartz salon on East Meeker Street in October, following a several-year hiatus. Up until a few years ago, Schwartz owned the Men/Women Salon and Damn Dog Espresso in Ballard, a pair of shops located across the street from each other near where the Seattle Monorail was scheduled to terminate.

His properties were on the city’s eminent domain list and after years of fighting and attending meeting after meeting, Schwartz reluctantly sold.

“It would be like being under the viaduct if they didn’t tear the building down,” he said of the location. “I didn’t want to go through it anymore. That’s when I threw in the towel and packed everything up.”

Schwartz said he took a sales position in the interim, but was laid off when the economy started to go south in 2008. After working for a beauty-supply company, he decided it was time to get back in the business.

In the interim, Schwartz bought a house in the Panther Lake area and discovered the charm of downtown Kent.

“I love downtown Kent,” he said, adding that it reminds him of the artsy atmosphere of the Fremont and Greenwood areas of Seattle. “I just like the atmosphere of the small businesses.”

Getting started again in a new location, Schwartz said he was able to convince a pair of local stylists to join his new team when their shop, Julie J’s, closed in November.

So far, Schwartz said business has been “better than expected” at his new location, drawing more walk-in clients than he expected for a beginning salon. Some former clients have even started booking again.

And with the salon ramping up, Schwartz said he has been talking to the building owner and is looking to open a coffee shop in the storefront next door.

“There’s a lot of energy when you have a coffee shop,” he said of the pairing.

Schwartz already has a name picked out: Bark N Coffee. Like his former shop in Ballard, he plans a dog theme for the new coffee shop, with menu items like “Chocolate Lab” instead of “mocha.”

After that, Schwartz said he hopes to branch out again, opening several other salons in the South Sound area, including Covington and Renton.

“My goal is to make these a feel-good, mid-priced salon spot where people can be pampered,” he said.

Blanc N Schwartz is located at 207 E. Meeker St. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 253-856-1355.