Vegan approach paying off for salon owner

A vegan restaurant? Sure.

But a vegan hair salon? Why not?

That was how Melanie Long looked at it when she began contemplating the idea of going into business for herself. She had worked for others from the time she was 17 in her native Galion and continuing after she moved to Columbus to finish her college education at Ohio State University.

Most people who launch their own small business want to adopt the best practices they observed where they previously worked.

Long sought to jettison the worst practices she saw working in various salons in the Columbus area.

Now 26, Long is the owner-operator of Virtue Salon and Barber Shop LLC at 3333 N. High St. Launched earlier this year, Long is fairly certain hers is the only vegan salon in Ohio.

Long, who has a degree in art from OSU, was drawn to the idea of being her own boss after working for others for around nine years.

"It is kind of a hot thing right now, to have a small business," she said last week, noting that people are increasingly trying to support enterprises in their own neighborhoods.

But in launching her own salon, Long said that she wanted to be much more eco-friendly than some of the shops where she had worked.

"Maybe eco-friendly to the max," she said.

At the same time Long was making plans to start a hair salon, she was trying to maintain a vegan lifestyle. In the process, she said that she became aware of the availability of vegan hair-care products, ones that were organic and sulfate-free. There are small product lines manufactured throughout the United States - and Long had already decided to stick with American-made - that use no animal byproducts and are "botanically based," she said.

"It's not as easy to find," Logan said. "It takes an extra step."

In point of fact, Long added, once found, these domestic products turned out to be no more expensive than non-vegan ones made in this country.

"I though there were a lot of people in Clintonville who were passionate about that," commented Long, who lives in the neighborhood herself.

"Virtue Salon is a built around a group of ideas that promote a more sustainable lifestyle," according to the website. "As a hairstylist, I began to ponder ideas about how the beauty industry could have a positive approach to life and the environment.

"Many salons have become extremely wasteful and dangerous for the environment. I started to research product lines and other ideas to create a more sustainable salon. I was surprised to find how many small companies and manufacturers were working hard to make their products environmentally sound. These companies not only use vegan ingredients but they also use 100-percent recyclable materials for all of the shipping and product packaging."

After finding a spot for her enterprise at the site of a former Indonesian market and recording studio, Long said that she didn't have to look far for inspiration regarding decoration:

"I was first inspired by my great-grandfather's barber chair," the owner wrote on the website. "Based on the looks of the chair, I thought it would be amazing to create a salon with all vintage furnishing. So according to the original idea, I began to collect items that complemented the chair. I have now acquired a salon full of furniture and equipment with an interesting story attached to each. As I collected everything, I realized that buying only 'repurposed' items was one of the most eco-friendly things that anyone could do."

"I've had a few people say, 'Is this a furniture store?' " Long admitted last week.

So far, the salon owner said, the reception given her business and approach to it has been gratifying.

"I feel really supported by the community," Long said. "I hope to be here for a long time."

Virtue Salon and Barber Shop, which may soon have an urban garden growing out back, has seven employees, including Long and the barber, the only man in the operation. The others are two receptionists and four hairstylists.