Beauty & Balance Salon Celebrates 10-Year Anniversary on Green Bay Road in Kenilworth

In November of 2016, Beauty & Balance Salon (640 Green Bay Road) celebrates ten years as a thriving business on Green Bay Road in Kenilworth, and co-owners Kelly and Dawn Stobart have stayed true to their original concept of creating a salon that puts customer service at the top of the priority list. They have successfully balanced their styling, coloring, and business acumen with the pleasure and fun of building close relationships with clients, employees, and the community at large. This has allowed Beauty & Balance to grow its staff, to attract and maintain a loyal client base, and to add to its list of salon services.

“We call it our family formula for success,” explains Dawn Stobart, who is both a senior colorist at the salon and manages the business end of Beauty & Balance. “Our father was a business owner, and he taught us that family is a priority and in our hiring we needed to bring in the right people who shared the same belief.”

Another truism from their father they’ve taken to heart, “You have to be present to run your business.” Kelly and Dawn Stobart have close to 30 years of combined service and salon experience between them. Kelly is a Vidal Sassoon-trained stylist and Dawn is a trained colorist, who was educated at The Aveda Institute Chicago and has completed advanced education classes with Goldwell Color Systems.

Stylist Helen Revelis has worked for the Stobarts since shortly after the salon opened and describes Kelly and Dawn as very hands-on managers. “They work side by side with us and truly care about their staff. That makes a big difference in how we approach our jobs.

Since opening ten years ago, the Stobarts have tripled their staff at Beauty & Balance, attracting some of the top styling and coloring talent in the Chicagoland area to their salon team. Education and training continue to be a priority for the salon owners, and staff are encouraged and supported financially in taking classes to enhance their skill set. Beauty & Balance uses and carries top hair care products from Oribe, Aveda, and Goldwell, and periodically, carries special seasonal skin care products from Aveda.

Goldwell-trained and senior colorist Jeff Ashlock has attended Goldwell training seminars in order to stay current on trends and to update his coloring technique. He appreciates that his employers encourage education. “Dawn and Kelly want us to bring a fresh approach to the salon every day and to share our knowledge with each other,” Ashlock states. “They are smart about hiring and have found staff who like to take a more collaborative approach to their work.”

That collaboration was on full display this spring when the staff, led by Kelly, created a photo shoot with a 50’s glamour vibe. Dawn turned to the Village of Wilmette for help in securing a location for the shoot. With the Beauty & Balance staff, models and a professional photographer in tow, the group took over the Wilmette Theatre for a morning in April.

“We like to keep everything fresh and creative, always looking for ways to grow personally and professionally,” states Kelly Stobart. “The ebbs and flows in a business are always there, but our focus remains on staying current and sharing our creative talents with each other and the community on a daily basis.”

For more information on the salon, view the web at www.beautyandbalancesalon.com or phone 847.256.2182.

PHOTO CREDIT of the model to: Takamasa Ota