Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Marlo Salon On Western Avenue Replaces Optimo Hat Co.

By Howard Ludwig | April 21, 2017 5:53am
 Owners Mary Ryan and Lauren Majka opened Marlo Salon Tuesday. Their new shop at 10215 S. Western Ave. in Beverly replaces Optimo Hat Co. in Beverly.
Marlo Salon
View Full Caption

BEVERLY — A new salon has moved into the storefront occupied for 25 years by Optimo Hat Co. at 10215 S. Western Ave. in Beverly.

Marlo Salon opened quietly Tuesday. Owners Lauren Majka and Mary Ryan said the shop that takes its name from combining both of their first names officially opens April 25.

Majka, a Morgan Park resident, and Ryan, a Beverly resident, began talking about opening a salon while attending Paul Mitchell School in University Village. The pair graduated from the cosmetology school in 2011.

Majka most recently worked at Tranquility Hair Salon in Beverly. Ryan worked at Nicole Marie Salon in Mount Greenwood. Both of the owners also graduated from Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School in Mount Greenwood.

Marlo Salon's bright, open layout is very different from the darker tones of Optimo Hat Co., which occupied the building for 25 years. [Brent Borchardt Photography]

"We always said we would [open a salon] when the timing was right. This space became available, and we went from there," Majka said Thursday. "I love that it was a hat shop."

The sign on the building will change soon. Other than that, the salon looks and feels very different from Optimo Hat Co. A bright, open layout has replaced the darker features of the former tenant.

Graham Thompson opened Optimo Hat in Beverly in 1991. The retail operation moved Downtown last year. Optimo's hats are still made in Beverly, but production moved from the combined storefront to a renovated firehouse at 1700 W. 95th St. last year.

Ryan, a graduate of St. John Fisher School, and Majka, a graduate of St. Cajetan School, both said they wanted a shop on Western Avenue in Beverly. They pointed to several pending new additions — including Firewater Saloon, Bookie's and Open Outcry Brewing Co. — as reasons for wanting to be on the busy commercial strip.

Mary Ryan (left) and Lauren Majka opened Marlo Salon Tuesday. The pair have been talking about opening a salon since attending Paul Mitchell School together in 2011. [DNAinfo/Howard A. Ludwig]

The salon will be open from noon-8 p.m. Tuesdays-Wednesdays; 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursdays; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Fridays and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays. The owners will occupy two of the five stations.

Other stylists will include Brenna Dwyer, who was previously working at Gordon Salon on the North Side. Maddy Majka, Lauren's cousin, will also join the staff and is a recent Paul Mitchell graduate too.

"I think there are plenty of salons [in Beverly], but there are plenty of clients to go around too," Majka said.

Marlo Salon at 10215 S. Western Ave. will have five stations for stylists. Owners Mary Ryan and Lauren Majka will each occupy a station along with Brenna Dwyer and Maddy Majka. [Brent Borchardt Photography]

Marlo Salon opened Tuesday. The owners, Mary Ryan and Lauren Majka, were both raised on the Far Southwest Side. And they are both excited to be included among several new developments in the Western Avenue corridor.  [Brent Borchardt Photography]