California-based chain of blowout salons looking to expand into Alabama

A California-based chain of salons offering health and wellness services is looking to expand into Alabama.

Drybar provides a hair styling service known as blowouts - drying hair after a wash to achieve a smooth and sleek look, style and feel, with no curling or flat iron involved.

Kelli Schroeder, vice president of franchise development at WellBiz Brands, the parent company, said Drybar is looking at the Birmingham and Huntsville areas, as well as other regions.

“We’ve identified Mountain Brook, Hoover, Huntsville, Dothan and Auburn to cover the state,” Schroeder said. “We’ve probably had over 10 inquiries over the last year from entrepreneurs. We do have a few territories to develop in Birmingham and then greater Alabama as we see the market develop.”

Drybar has more than 200 locations around the U.S., and 100 currently under development.

“We’re looking to grow 25% year-over-year,” she said. “You can see Drybar products sold at Sephora and Ulta around the United States, as well as our brick-and-mortar locations. It’s a very adored and loved brand by our customers, and we want to bring that to Alabama.”

In addition to eight different styles of blowouts, Drybar offers other services, such as a 10-minute scalp massage, deep conditioning hair mask, eyelash extensions, massage therapy, hair removal waxing concepts and one-on-one personal training, As much as 40 percent of the customer base is male, Schroeder said.

Drybar looks for a 1,200 to 1,600-square-feet footprint, with eight to 10 salon chairs, operating seven days a week. The company is seeking potential partners “involved with local business and in the local sphere of influence.”

“We want someone that’s a people person, because this business model is driven by selling memberships, with recurring revenue to customers who want to come in monthly or bi-weekly. They should be naturally good with marketing and people. This is a labor intensive model. You’re going to be constantly identifying talent, hiring, training, developing.”

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