Cottage Grove business has 30 salon professionals, room for more

A local Cottage Grove business is celebrating their first year in business.

Salons by JC, a franchise offering personalized hair care and beauty services, opened its doors at 7240 East Point Douglas Road, right next to Tj Maxx and Hy-Vee last fall. Owned by Ron and Karen Ruckdashel, the business offers personalized hair, nails, and skin services, without driving into the Twin Cities.

“Literally we’re a beauty mall,” Karen shared recently. “What we have here are 42 suites. All individual, all business owners.” With 30 suites now filled after opening one year ago with 13 and still room for more, the many different services offered at Salons by JC include everything from hair and nails to plasma facials. Ethnic or textured haircare and braiding services are also available. Each of the present 30 professionals has their own suite for customers, with the concierge Amber greeting people at the front just inside the door. Salons by JC Cottage Grove not only provides a lounge and reception area but private bathrooms which are things unique to the salon suites model Karen said. As to the diversity of hair and other services offered, Karen compares them to differences in fabric. “I think of hair as fabric,” the industry veteran with 34+ years salon experience said of the differences of denim, silk, and other fabric kinds. With so much variety, individualized approaches to hair treatment and care makes sense as salons transition to this new platform. In Salons by JC Cottage Grove, salon professionals can also easily market their services on social media using things like the screen projector with custom background on site in the lounge.

As it turns out, the Cottage Grove location had an uncertain start at first, with Ron and Karen about to sign just before the pandemic shut everything down, including salons.

“Where is this thing going?” Ron shared of the uncertainty that greeted the world after the shutdown. Now post-shutdown, places like Salons by JC are the future of the industry for independent salon ownership, as well as a business incubator for those who might start out in a place like Salons by JC and then branch out on their own. Ron and Karen said the city was really helpful during the process of startup and beyond.

“The City of Cottage Grove has been great,” Ron shared of the franchise getting started. With 30 professionals offering different beauty services and room for still more, Salons by JC Cottage Grove gives personalized services right in our own community without the long drive, traffic, or paid parking.

Salons by JC is located at 7240 East Point Douglas Road, right next to TJ Maxx and HyVee.Photo by Joseph Back.

Readers can use the above QR code to view a full list of professional services offered by the professionals at Salons by JC.