Pleasure Doing Business: Salon M

To step inside Marta Woodhead's Salon M on Beach Blvd. is to feel at home. The proprietor is the stylist and the only employee, yet with a gentle nature she has created a space that has become a destination for many in the area since she opened in August 2009.

Originally from California, she moved to New York and by 22 was trained as a hair dresser and working in the hair and makeup union for commercials, television, industrial videos, film and print advertising.

“I had a lot of friends that worked in the film business as scenic artists, writers, electricians and they inspired me to test to join the union for makeup artists,” she remembers. “I passed the test and then started working in the film business.”

At the same time she opened her own shop in the village of Cold Spring, NY near West Point. There she stayed for the next 20 years continuing with her own shop and working in the entertainment business.

In the late 1990s she bought a vacation house in Pass-a Grille. A few years later one of her clients who lived in Gulfport sang its praises and eventually she decided to move here. She left full-time hair stylist work and did her own thing for the next few years until 2009 when a good friend created an opening for her doing hair and makeup at a studio up in the northeast.

She was prepared to maintain her home here but go back up and take the opportunity when she drove by the location of her current business on Beach Blvd., which used to be a hair salon, and noticed it was for rent.

“I just stopped and looked at it and had one of those 'ah hah' moments, turned my car around, pulled up in front, called the landlord and they were here in five minutes and I pretty much made the decision, slept on it overnight and within three days I had a lease signed.”

She's glad for the "ah hah" moment as life is good, she enjoys the area very much and speaks as if at peace with the world.

“I had so many wonderful things here and realized it would be so much more peaceful at this point in life,” she explains.

“It's become much more in the second year than what I thought it would be,” she says of the business. “The people are fabulous and I've developed some great friendships.”

She's happy for the simple things like the kids of her customers stopping in just to say hello. Also a member of the Gulfport Merchants Association she enjoys cooperating with Get Rescued in Gulfport for the dogs and also donates and encourages others to do so for the Senior Center Pantry.

The Salon M location has also been a flower shop in addition to many other businesses over the years but Marta added a tiled floor, a healthy dose of art, tastefully located flowers and modern furnishings to create a spotless setting in a comfortable atmosphere with lots of space.

Still a member of the makeup artist's union she recently did hair and makeup for the extras in the film Dolphin Tale, which was filmed partly in St. Petersburg and Clearwater. Not prone to aggressive marketing or name dropping from her days in film, she prefers to gain customers via word of mouth and is content taking good care of the customers she has rather than pursuing more. Her customers come in all ages from all areas and all hair styles.

Salon M provides styling, haircuts, hair coloring, deep conditioning, smoothing treatments, waxing service, makeup applications and good conversation. She also makes her space available for other local stylists. Hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm and she caters to her customers with specially arranged appointments throughout the week.