When we talk about supporting local businesses, sometimes we forget that one small business can actually create opportunities for several other small businesses.
That was one of the things that stood out to me when I stopped by Royal Sass Salon and visited with owner Dawn Brody as part of my Wednesday Local Business Review.
Located at 800 3rd Avenue South in Great Falls, Royal Sass Salon is a locally owned salon offering nail, hair and other beauty services. But after visiting with Dawn, I realized there is more happening inside Royal Sass than simply providing services to customers.
Dawn has created a place where independent beauty professionals can work, build their clientele and, in many ways, build businesses of their own.
Building Her Own Dream
Opening any business takes a leap of faith.
Dawn took that leap when she opened Royal Sass Salon during the COVID era—a time when there was certainly no guarantee that starting a new business would work.
But she had a vision.
Royal Sass wasn’t simply about opening another salon. It was about creating a professional, welcoming environment where Dawn could serve her own customers while also providing opportunities for other professionals in the beauty industry.
Years later, Royal Sass Salon continues serving customers in Great Falls.
Anyone who has owned a small business knows that opening the doors is really only the beginning. Staying in business requires building relationships, taking care of customers, adjusting when things don’t go according to plan and continuing to find ways to make the business work.
Dawn has done exactly that.
🎥 Meet Dawn Brody and Royal Sass Salon
There is always more to a local business than what you see when you drive past the building or walk through the front door.
That’s why I enjoy sitting down with our local business owners and letting them tell their own stories.
During my visit, Dawn and I talked about Royal Sass Salon, how the business operates, the booth-rental concept and her vision for creating a place where other beauty professionals can grow.
Take a few minutes and meet Dawn and hear the story directly from her.
Local Business Supporting Local Business
One of the things I found most interesting about Royal Sass is how the business operates.
Rather than having everyone working under a traditional employer-and-employee model, Royal Sass utilizes booth rentals.
Beauty professionals can rent space inside the salon and work more independently while having a professional location where they can serve their customers.
I think that’s an important part of Dawn’s story.
Starting completely from scratch can be expensive. A beauty professional who wants to build a clientele may not necessarily be ready—or even want—to take on an entire commercial building, utilities, equipment, maintenance and all of the other responsibilities that come with operating a standalone location.
A booth-rental arrangement provides another path.
It gives professionals the opportunity to work within an established salon environment while developing their own clientele and building something for themselves.
So when you look at Royal Sass, you’re really looking at more than one small business.
You’re looking at a local business that is also providing space for other local entrepreneurs to succeed.
Different Talents Under One Roof
That model also gives customers access to different professionals and services within one location.
Royal Sass has been home to professionals providing haircuts, styling, coloring, nails and other beauty services.
Each professional brings his or her own personality, talents, experience and customers into the salon.
And I think that is one of the things that makes businesses like Royal Sass interesting.
When you make an appointment with an independent professional working there, you’re not just supporting Royal Sass. You’re also supporting the individual behind that chair or station who is working to build a clientele and earn a living.
That is truly local business supporting local business.
The Story Behind the Sign
This is one of the biggest reasons I started doing Community Partner stories.
We drive past businesses throughout Great Falls every single day.
We see a sign.
We see a storefront.
We might even have driven past the same business hundreds of times.
But how often do we actually know the story behind it?
Behind those doors are people who took a chance.
They’re paying bills, building clientele, adapting when things change, dealing with challenges most customers will never see and trying to create something that will last.
Sometimes they’re also creating opportunities for somebody else.
That’s what I saw at Royal Sass Salon.
Dawn had a vision, took a chance on starting her own business and created a place where she could grow while giving other beauty professionals room to grow alongside her.
Supporting Local Is About People
We talk a lot about the importance of shopping local, but supporting local is about more than where we spend our money.
It’s about understanding who we’re supporting when we spend it.
It’s the business owner who decided to take a risk.
It’s the independent professional renting a booth and building a clientele.
It’s the person who unlocks the door in the morning, pays the bills and keeps showing up.
Those people are part of what makes our community work.
If you haven’t checked out Royal Sass Salon, stop in, meet some of the people working there and see what they have to offer.
And the next time you pass one of our locally owned businesses, remember:
There is probably a much bigger story behind that front door.
That’s one of the reasons we’re building We Are Local—to tell those stories, introduce you to the people behind our local businesses and remind all of us just how much talent, entrepreneurship and determination we have right here in our own community.
Because when local businesses succeed, our entire community gets stronger.
