Samuel Cole Salon | Raleigh NC

May 22, 2007 (RALEIGH, NC) – FirstChair.com, a website devoted exclusively to new salon and spa professionals, has asked Joelle Ray of Samuel Cole Salon, in North Raleigh, to contribute to two expert-advice articles for the site’s readers.

According to Ray, who co-owns the salon with husband Jack Ray, one article addresses the interview process for a new stylist who is trying to find the best salon “fit” for his or her talents and interests. Among other “Interview Guidelines,” Ray offers: “The best interview should be a process. It is hard to sum up a salon from just one meeting. Ask to come in to observe the salon when clients and stylists are present so that you can evaluate the “feel” or culture of the salon. Remember: An interview isn’t just something you sit through. You need to participate. Prepare and ask good questions. “

The second article is a “Do’s & Don’ts” list for first-year stylists, offering such gems of wisdom and experience as “Do: Be a sponge. Observe then emulate successful stylists’ good habits. Pay particular attention to the “superstars” in the salon then do what they do,” and “Don’t: Get discouraged about re-dos. If clients call back to ask for modifications it means they feel comfortable enough to contact you for a ‘fix.’ It’s normal for this to happen early in your career. Thank them for giving you the opportunity to make them happy.”

FirstChair.com and its companion annual FirstChair Yearbook and Success Guide are produced by Modern Salon Media, a leading publisher of magazines and websites serving the professional salon and spa industry. Sister publications are Modern Salon, Salon Today, Process and Renew magazines.

April 18, 2007 (RALEIGH, NC) – Samuel Cole Salon, an upscale hair styling salon in North Raleigh owned by Jack and Joelle Ray, recently hosted a Sebastian Professional hair cutting class, which gave the salon’s stylists the opportunity to learn new, updated haircutting techniques and to study Sebastian’s “Evokative” line of hair care products.

The six-hour class was part of Samuel Cole Salon’s mission to continually offer its stylists advanced educational opportunities. Conducted by Sebastian Professional senior design artist Doug Hutto, it included hair-cutting demonstrations, hands-on experience advanced razor cutting for the stylists, and extensive information on the use of the Evokative line, a new collection of hair care and styling products that were designed to produce “soft, touchable, luxurious hair,” according to the company.

“We are committed to keeping ourselves fresh and inspired as artists by investing in excellent education,” said Jack Ray. “We strive to always offer top education and training to our stylists, which in turn benefits our clients. We love the energy that comes from a day of training like this.”

Founded in the 1970s, Sebastian Professional is known for its trendsetting hair styling concepts and innovative products, such as Cellophanes, Shaper Hairspray, Potion 9, and Molding Mud.

February 20, 2007 (RALEIGH, NC) – Samuel Cole Salon, an upscale hair styling salon in North Raleigh, recently hosted a Colors of the World seminar presented by the Wella Corporation, one of the leading international beauty supplies.

Colors of the World is a comprehensive program designed to help salons build their hair color business. The seminars focus on developing stylists’ coloring skills while supporting the salons with merchandising materials and other business planning education. They are offered in local markets throughout the U.S. as well as in Wella’s studios in New York and Los Angeles.

The seminar presented at Samuel Cole Salon was one in a series of classes in Wella’s advanced color curriculum. Pamela Mackowiak, a professional service educator with Wella Corporation, conducted the seminar.

“It is quite an honor to host this innovative educational event,” said Jack Ray, who co-owns the salon with his wife, Joelle. “We strive to always offer our clients the best, and continual education is a defining element of our culture.”

January 28, 2007 (RALEIGH, NC) – Inside Samuel Cole Salon’s modern, curvilinear interior, with its sleek espresso cabinetry, polished Pakistani onyx reception counter, glowing frosted-glass shampoo unit from Germany with white porcelain bowls that look more like sculpture than equipment — it’s easy to forget you’re in the upper north side of Raleigh instead of the upper west side of NYC.

For a year, Samuel Cole Salon’s co-owners Jack and Joelle Ray have been working with interior designers Michael Perry of Porto in North Hills and Clark Hipolito of The Art Company on Glenwood to create an ambience that’s as au courant as the hair styling for which the award-winning salon is known. The results of this collaboration will be unveiled Saturday, February 3, when the “new” and expanded Samuel Cole Salon officially re-opens at 240 Newton Road.

The Rays, a husband-and-wife team who named their salon for their two sons, began “remodeling from the inside out” about three years ago, they said, when they took a hard look at the business side of things and began making some much-needed changes. Those changes caused their client base literally to double, then continue to grow by 50 percent each of the next two years. When the storefront space beside theirs became available a year ago, they knew it was time to enlarge and remodel the physical facility.

The expansion allowed the salon to grow from 1400 square feet to 2800 square feet, which gave Perry and Hipolito ample room to use custom designed cabinetry to create separate and distinctive areas for styling services, retail, and reception. They also managed to strike a balance between “urban chic” and “warm and inviting” by juxtaposing the more sleek, modern aspects of the interior with such elements as a pale blue ceiling and honey-hued bamboo flooring. The bamboo also appealed to the Rays’ and their designers’ desire to be good stewards of the environment. Bamboo can be completely cut down but the roots are never damaged, so the forest grows back quickly for reharvesting. “Cork and bamboo are the ultimate ‘green,’ renewable resources,” Jack Ray said.

The cork floor in the styling section also softens the visual effect, but Michael Perry specified it for two other reasons: Like the bamboo, it’s environmentally responsible. Just as importantly, it’s comfortable for the stylists – a fact few other salons in the nation have discovered. “Cork is harvested from the bark of the cork oak tree, so the tree isn’t damaged or cut down,” Joelle explained. “It’s also water, insect, and fire resistant. And the air trapped inside the cellular structure of cork is a natural shock absorber so our stylists are comfortable standing on their feet for hours on end without us having to resort to those big, black mats.” Another special feature in the new salon is Clark Hipolito’s faux finishing. For example, a large faux copper wall fronts the styling area. The same finish adds a note of elegance to the restrooms.

According to the Rays, the new salon not only gives the staff more room in which to work and will accommodate an ever-growing client base, it’s also “very inspiring, very uplifting,” Joelle said. “It creates energy because it’s a high-impact space. It just feels good to be here.” The Rays believe that feeling will appeal to current and future clients. The re-opening will take place Saturday between 6 and 8 p.m. Sponsors include Porto, Margaux’s, Bluewater Spa, and The Art Company.