Salons by JC is a booth-rental franchise for stylists who want to be more independent in their business. The oft-debated booth renting isn’t uncommon, and stylists endeavor into rentals for various reasons. Salons by JC is currently planning to open 50 new locations throughout the U.S. in 2014 and hope for as many as 100 in 2015. Another rental franchise, MY SALON Suite, also reports expansion for 2014.

Salons by JC originated in 1998 in Dallas, Texas, and was founded by Cecil Miller and Jack Griffey. Griffey’s wife was a hair stylist working in a similar concept, and he saw an opportunity to provide something to accommodate established beauty professionals who possessed a reliable clientele, required flexibility and didn’t want to deal with property maintenance. And so they did.

Franchising for Salons by JC didn’t come into play until about 10 years after the company’s inception. 2008 proved to be a challenging year for franchising, as the economy was in poor shape, and Miller and Griffey had little success.

“Starting in 2013, we armed ourselves with a new marketing strategy and were able to sell over 200 units across the country,” Miller says. 10 of 13 of the open and operating locations are in Texas. “Once the brand was established, however, individuals from across the U.S. recognized the unparalleled nature of the concept along with its usefulness.”

Each salon has a receptionist to guide clients through “decorated commons spaces” to their respective stylists. Beyond that, though, stylists are expected to manage their own calls and scheduling. “They are able to work one-on-one with clients and schedule appointments according to their personal schedule, offering another aspect of freedom not found in traditional salon ownership,” Miller says.

For a stylist who looks to work independently and avoid upfront costs and risks associated with building and running a salon, Salons by JC and the booth-rental concept is a viable career option. “Our greatest benefit lies in enabling a beauty professional to work completely independent — their own chief creative officer, in a sense,” Miller says. “In addition, each stylist who rents a suite has the freedom to design their own creative spaces and use the products they feel bring the highest quality to their clients, ultimately controlling their look, style and business.”

Additionally, MY SALON Suite, another franchise for booth rentals, is reporting strong growth and expansion activity and increasing its number of franchise locations.

"We have started off the new year strong with our latest salon suite openings in our home state of Florida and in the new states of Connecticut and Michigan, says Ken McAllister, MY SALON Suite CEO. "We welcome new franchise owners into our family and look forward to helping them successfully run and manage these state-of-the-art beauty complexes."

Salons by JC location openings in 2014:

March
Denton, Texas

June
Charlotte, North Carolina
Lewisville, Texas
Austin, Texas (1)
Atlanta, Georgia (1)
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

July
Denver, Colorado
Phoenix, Arizona
San Jose, California
Houston, Texas (1)
Minneapolis, Minnesota
St. Cloud, Minnesota
Miami, Florida

August
Atlanta, Georgia (2)
Atlanta, Georgia (3)
Naples, Florida
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Austin, Texas (2)
Chicago, Illinois
Houston, Texas (2)
Raleigh, North Carolina

September
North Dallas, Texas
Houston, Texas (3)

For more information, visit salonsbyjc.com and mysalonsuite.com.

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