A new boutique beauty and wellness business is set to open this summer in St. Joseph, offering a different approach to salon and self-care services in Southwest Michigan.
Indie Creative Rooms, founded by St. Joe salon owner Mandy McDonald, will open at 3102 Niles Road, next to M Squared Modern Hair, her existing salon.
McDonald tells us Indie Creative Rooms is a new kind of concept for this area, offering independent stylists and other wellness professionals a chance to rent their own space.
“You would have everything you would need to operate right within your suite,” McDonald said. “So, usually your sink, your shampoo bowl, your styling station, all of that will be right within your own little area.”
McDonald says the area would be customizable, private, lockable, and entirely self-contained. She compares the concept to renting a condo for your business, telling us it could work for hair stylists, manicurists, massage therapists, and more.
“It’s creative people who want their own independence, set their own pricing structure, set their own hours, and they have own lockable space for that. So it’s kind of like having your micro business within the walls of Indie Creative Rooms.”
McDonald notes Indie Creative Rooms is located in the office building previously occupied by Dr. John Kim’s oral surgery, so running plumbing to each little studio hasn’t been a problem.
So, when did McDonald get the idea for this business?
“About 20 minutes after I opened the doors for M Squared Modern Hair,” McDonald laughed. “It was just kind of one of those things where they had been popping up in bigger cities like Mishawaka, South Bend area, Grand Rapids, those kinds of places. And it was like, boy, what is it going to take for us to get something like that here? So, I’m just really excited to bring something like that here to Southwest Michigan.”
When Dr. Kim’s building became available, she went for it. Now Indie Creative Rooms plans to open this summer.
Professionals interested in renting a room can schedule a tour of the space and learn more about the concept by calling Mandy McDonald at 269-921-3732 or emailing mandy@msquaredmodernhair.com. Rooms are available on a first-come, first-served basis, allowing professionals to choose and design the space that fits their business.
McDonald is offering a special founder’s rate for renters who sign before May 31.
