By Tara Kyle
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
HELL'S KITCHEN — Vacant properties, bus lots and graffiti pockmark Ninth Avenue in the 30s, but a one-year-old salon is injecting a bit of beauty into this less than lovely place.
Greek-born owner Liljana Ndreu said the brightly-painted Beba Blue Salon, located at the 38th Street intersection, was a lifelong dream of hers. Last week she celebrate the one-year anniversary of her dream-come-true with a party.
"Always, always I wanted to help people and make them look good," said Ndreu. "I care a lot about beauty."
And although opening Beba Blue (which also offers nail, skin, makeup and waxing services) in the midst of economic turmoil was a risky undertaking — friends told her she was crazy to invest everything she had — business, these days, is strong.
Now, her face lights up when she describes her clients, who she says are her best advertising.
They include big names such as 11-year-old "Billy Elliot" star Joseph Harrington, Tony Award nominated actor John Tartaglia (formerly of "Avenue Q") and novelist Mary Karr ("Lit"), as well as dozens of Fashion Week models. But she also serves many "ordinary," young professional women from the surrounding neighborhood.
One such woman scheduling a haircut Tuesday afternoon was Meredith Wilford, a 32-year-old wine consultant.
"They're so nice and pleasant, comfortable and warm," said Wilford, who had her wedding hair and makeup done at Beba Blue. "It also adds a little class to the scrappiness of Ninth Avenue."
Helping to rejuvenate the area, which has begun to see an influx of luxury development in recent years, is one of Ndreu's goals.
"This neighborhood from 34th to 40th, it needs a little something," Ndreu said. "I think the future is going to be great here."
