WICKER PARK — Meraki Room, a new independently-owned salon from three friends and former stylists at the Kelly Cardenas salon's Wicker Park outpost, will open for business at noon on Thursday.
Located at 2028 W. Division St., Meraki Room replaces C. Dahlstedt clothing boutique, which closed last year.
Named for a modern Greek word that derives from the Turkish "Merak" or "labor of love," Meraki means having "the essence of yourself being put into your work," co-owner Diana Monteleone said during a tour on Wednesday.
Meraki Room offers eight chairs with hair dryers suspended from the ceiling for easy access while standing and a separate "color lounge" for hair coloring. The salon will use products made by Davines, an eco friendly family-owned brand out of Parma, Italy.
Monteleone said that the impetus for opening her own salon — along with fellow stylists Dani McLaren and Taya Damman, whom she met while they all worked at Wicker Park's Kelly Cardenas salon — was driven by a desire to be more independent, an idea that began to germinate after she attended a three-day self improvement course.
Last year, Monteleone, Damman and McLaren hashed out plans to open their own salon over a very long night of talking and a few bottles of wine, as the story goes on their website's "about us" page. The business further gelled after they saw a storefront for rent near Damen and Division street.
After signing a lease, they brainstormed possible names for the new venture.
"We had so many names. We met at the SoHo house, held hands and said a prayer, and went over the names again," Monteleone said.
Meraki Room opens at noon Thursday. Appointments can be booked online, or at 773-687-8107.
Meraki Room at 2028 W. Division St. opens on Thursday. [DNAinfo/Alisa Hauser]
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