After several years at the corner of Somerset and Spadina, Kristen Atkinson found herself ready to seek a new opportunity and expand her hair studio. It was in the heart of Hintonburg that Kirsten settled on a quirky little building formerly known as “Our Lady of His Mercy.”
“The whole idea of coming into an older building in Hintonburg and repurposing it was to appreciate the value in good, older buildings,” says Kristen.
Hiring a local designer and using repurposed materials, Kristen set about building a home for Mint, an eco-friendly hair studio in the centre of Hintonburg.
In addition to lowering the environmental footprint of the building itself, Kristen also set out to run her business with sustainability in mind. “I thought there was a lot of waste in a business that didn’t need to have a lot of waste,” says Kristen.
Mint Hair Studio works with Green Circle Salons, a company that diverts salon waste products from landfills. Leftover colour products are picked up (instead of being dumped into the sewer system), tin foil is melted down to make low-grade metal, and hair is stuffed into nylons to make hair booms for the purposes of oil spill cleanup.
New clients are finding Mint because they’re looking for an alternative to the chemically laden products used in the majority of salons. Mint uses Kevin Murphy products, which are PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) approved and mostly organic. The products are scented with natural oils, and individuals sensitive to strong smells will find relief at Mint Hair Studio.
Being environmentally conscious also has benefits for the staff at Mint. Kristen wanted the products her stylists work with to be safer, which reduces side effects from working with chemicals on a daily basis.
Green goals aside, customer satisfaction is also a key piece of Mint’s business approach. “I understand the value of my clients, and I understand that they have busy lives,” says Kristen. “They want to come in here and have a really great experience for an affordable price and feel pampered – how often do we get to feel that in life?”
Mint Hair Studio
1071 Wellington St. W
Ph | 613-695-3133
www.minthairstudio.ca
facebook.com/minthairstudio.ca
instagram.com/mint_hair_studio
twitter.com/Hint_o_Mint
This sponsored post is part of Kitchissippi Favourites, a special advertising feature that is printed in KT twice a year. Read the other profiles right here.