Today we’d like to introduce you to Bruce Osgood.
Bruce, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I have been in the hair industry for over 30 years. When I was 20 I opened my first salon in Indianapolis, Indiana. Upon moving back to Dallas in 1998, Allane O’Neil and I opened the first Osgood O’Neil Salon in Snider Plaza. We now have four locations in Dallas together, and I still love working on the floor, behind the chair with my clients every day. Our salon’s educators and I designed our intensive and prestigious 3,000-hour apprenticeship program, which has since trained over 175 stylists and colorists. Developing inexperienced people into strong hairdressers is my top priority. The key to this success has been creating an environment for hairstylists to hone their craft through education within Osgood O’Neil and other top educators in the industry.
Has it been a smooth road?
Through working and running my previous salon group in Indianapolis I learned how to run an even more successful salon group here in Dallas. My business partner and I understood the reason other salons continue to fail; attempting to run and manage a salon while being behind the chair full-time along with the time restraints for each is impossible. We decided to hire our Director of Business Development, Lauren Schlabs and great management from day one.
It has all been an incredible journey which is why we are celebrating our 20th Anniversary in October!
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Osgood O’Neil Salon story. Tell us more about the business.
Our salon group currently has four locations within University Park. The first location opened in Snider Plaza in 1998, followed by our Knox location in 2003, Lovers Lane in 2007 and most recently The LOFT in 2016. They were founded with one clear objective in mind: ‘to create an environment where you could receive the best hair treatment in town’. We designed all four of the locations insuring that the spaces would provide our clients with a luxurious experience and for our employees to have a creative space to thrive in.
Our stylists and colorists are departmentalized in order for them to be focused on their craft; each of them must complete our highly demanding apprenticeship program. Our in-house educators and myself have worked with and trained close to 175 people (not including the staff that our salons have trained as a whole: managers, front-desk and the people behind the scenes). We have brought in almost every top artist / educator within our industry for our stylists and colorists on top of sending them all over the world for education.
What do you do? I am a stylist.
What do you specialize in? Making my clients feel their best.
What are you known for, etc? Providing beautiful environments and exceptional services to our clientele and my dedication in supporting our team.
What are you most proud of as a company? Winning ‘Salon Design of the Year’ at NAHA.
What sets you apart from others? For Our Employees: It has always been important to build a well-rounded salon as far as giving benefits and focusing on what each staff member needs in order to better their career. Providing healthcare, 401k, paid vacation, continued education in-house and opportunities to travel all over the world for education – The things that make a difference in real life and in exceeding in their craft.
Any big shifts, changes, trends, etc?
There have been shifts, changes and trends over the years and yes, there will always be more to come. What is the most important in these situations is having the foresight in your community and industry to know when and how to adjust.
We opened our Knox location in 2003, look at how the Knox area has flourished since and is still expanding in 2018… we knew that ‘change’ was going to come to that area of Dallas.
Recognizing the ‘shift’ growing amongst younger hairstylists all over seeking exceptional education yet desiring more independence from commissioned based salons early on; we curated The LOFT.
The LOFT is located upstairs within the Lovers Lane location and is a different concept: it boasts over 3,800sq ft. and offers new levels conceptually, creatively and intellectually within the hair industry on a local, national and international level. In addition to stations for independent hairdressers The LOFT is a rentable event space for top industry leaders seeking to host color, cut and style events for high-end hair care lines. This hybrid salon and event space provides a link between the commission stylist and the independent artist by combining the best of both sides of the industry while simultaneously bringing quality education to all hairdressers in Dallas and beyond.
Where do you see your industry going over the next 5-10 years?
While continuing with concepts like The LOFT, we understand the value and need to grow our business in different directions as needed. That being said, The LOFT is merely a continuation of our salon group’s commission based salons. Commissioned based salons are the key to maintaining long-term growth and continue to be the only business format capable of providing life-long career paths for hairdressers. You cannot have one without the other within the current market.
Pricing:
- Haircuts $55 – $120
- Blow-dry $40 – $60
Contact Info:
- Address: 6932 Snider Plaza . Dallas, Texas 75205
4320 Lovers Lane . Dallas, Texas 75225
3213 Knox Street . Dallas, Texas 75205 - Website: www.osgoodoneil.com
- Phone: 214.373.6336
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
