The
salon officially opened on March 1st one year ago, but Amanda chose
to wait for the ribbon cutting until she and her second chair
operator Lexi Clark had settled in well and was comfortable with the
new surroundings. The two have been working since then to build
their customer base and sustain their business.
Minikel is a veteran stylist with more than 15 years of experience.
She has worked in a number of salons. When husband Jeremy was called
to come to Lincoln for his job at International Paper, Amanda worked
with first at a couple of local salons including Heads are Turning
and Camel’s Hairem.
Minikel said that her heart has always been in styling and grooming
hair. She said it is a rewarding feeling to see a happy customer, to
watch a special transformation that is more than physical. She
enjoys the relationships she builds with routine customers and loves
getting to know them on a personal level.
Clark is a four-year stylist, still learning and building her
reputation. Minikel said that she particularly enjoyed being able to
help a new stylist build her client list and establish her
reputation. She said years ago, when she was first getting started,
someone had done that for her, taking her under the wing so to speak
and helping boost her career. Now Minikel said it is her turn to pay
if forward.
Hair on Broadway is located on the ground floor at
400 Broadway Street. Minikel said sometimes folks have a hard time
figuring out which of four doors are hers. To make it clear, there
are two doors on the front porch that are front and center.
Minikel’s door is the one on the left. Now there are two other
doors, but to reach them, you have to walk around the corner of the
front porch, so the best advise is stay on the front side and use
the door on the left.
Inside the salon, Minikel has done a lovely job of making the place
feel very special as well as relaxing. With a color scheme that
mingles black and gold, guests feel a bit of sophistication as they
enter. The electric fireplace and antique furniture make the front
room warm and inviting.
The next two rooms include chairs and wash stations for cut and
curls, and locations for facial waxing.
Minikel said that her primary focus is color, cut, style, deep
conditioning, clipper cuts for men and facial waxing. She does not
do perms, and says her business is really pretty basic, but it’s
working out well for her and Clark.
She does offer some retail products and offers gift certificates.
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The salon is open Tuesday through Friday from 8:30
a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. All services are
by appointment only with no walk-ins.
On Friday, two of the folks who attended the ribbon
cutting were the building owners, Terry and Kelly Coppinger. The
Coppingers own the Idle Hour and had long been concerned about the
upkeep of the building that was their next door neighbor. When the
building was offered for sale, the two decided to make the purchase,
though at the moment, they did not intend to do a whole lot with the
building. However, they did. When they began
working on the space that is currently Hair on Broadway, Kelly said
the space was in disrepair, and there was much that had to be done.
Terry talked about the carpeting that was on the floor, and how that
when they began pulling it up, they found beautiful hardwood floors.
They said it took a lot of time to find them though as there was
carpet, subflooring, linoleum, and finally the hardwood.
On Friday evening when it came time for the actual
ribbon cutting, Amanda, husband Jeremy and daughter Evelyn were
front and center. They were joined by the Coppingers, 2023 Logan
County Fair Queen Ellyn Martinez, Lincoln Ward One Alderman and
Mayor Pro Tem Kevin Bateman, and City Clerk Peggy Bateman, Chassidy
White and Sophia and Karen Castelein of Lincoln Daily News.
Kevin Bateman was asked to speak on behalf of the city in the
absence of Mayor Tracy Welch. He began by saying hair on Broadway is
in his ward. He said that he loves the fact that someone takes an
empty building and repurposes it into something worthwhile. He
expressed appreciation for the Coppingers who invested in the
building and made it into something special for the Minikels to take
and turn into a new business venture in Lincoln.
Amanda was asked to speak. She said that she was
touched that the guests had come out to help her celebrate, she said
“we are so happy here,” To the Coppingers she said “thank you for
making it beautiful, and I’m just a happy girl.”
Next came the traditional posed picture then the countdown to the
snip. After Amanda had snipped the ribbon, guests were invited to
stay, enjoy some refreshments and spend some time getting to know
the Minikels.
[Nila Smith]
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