Fuse Showcases Summer Fashions

Scotts Valley's new consignment shop, , was dressed to the nines on Saturday night, for its first-ever fashion show.

The event was a collaboration between the three-month-old Fuse and its neighboring business, , a salon that has been part of the Kings Village Shopping Center since 1969.

Nineteen models—all local women, and two men—strutted down the aisle, showing off their Fuse-sourced outfits and freshly styled hair.

The models looked stunning in bright summer dresses and simple beach elegance, and the hair was no less impressive: models sported intricately woven braids, bouncy beach waves, and there were even a few adventurous green streaks.

Lorie Penner, who has worked at Ideal Hair since 2000 and took over ownership in 2005, loves having the clothing store next door.

"It's awesome, bouncing each other’s clients off each other," Penner said.

Bonnie Weston, a client of both the salon and the consignment shop, emceed the fashion show with commentary that kept the models and the audience laughing. Weston says the point of the show was to help build a community among the businesses' clientele.

"You make an appointment to get your hair done, why not make an appointment to see if you can consign some of your clothes?" Weston said.

The owners of Fuse, Krystal Black and Stacee Haney, passed out hors d'oeuvres before the show began, and were thankful for the large turnout, which filled the entire store and spilled onto the sidewalk.

Joe Perry, who owned Ideal Hair from 1969 to 2005 and still styles hair there, also came out to support the salon and fashion show. 

"He's been like a mentor to me," said Penner, who feels that her current team of eight hair stylists is the "strongest" and "most professional team of hair dressers" that she has had since purchasing the salon in 2005.

But that doesn't mean they have the snooty attitude that some successful salons get. The salon is family oriented and on any given day there are likely four different generations getting their hair done. 

"Neither agency is high pressure. It's not like you're going to walk in and feel like you're not dressed well enough, you feel very much at home," said Weston of the two neighboring businesses.