May 30, 2025 • 20 mins
Jamie Dawson shares the story behind Drybar's inspiring mission, franchise journey, female empowerment, and delivering consistent luxury hair styling experiences.
🌟 Perfect For:
- Entrepreneurs and small business owners
- Beauty and salon industry professionals
- Aspiring franchise owners
- Women interested in leadership and branding
🎟 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
- How Jamie transitioned from client to franchise owner
- The unique model and mission of The Dry Bar
- What makes a salon experience feel luxurious and consistent
- How franchising can empower women and create business opportunities
- Insights into leadership, client service, and brand loyalty
đź’¬ Memorable Quotes:
"I just fell in love with the brand—the way it made me feel."
"We’re not just doing hair; we’re delivering confidence."
"The goal is to give every woman that feeling of walking a little taller."
"Consistency is key when you’re trying to scale luxury."
đź“Ť About The Dry Bar:
Premier blowout salon delivering consistent, luxurious hair styling in a fun, feel-good environment.
Website: drybarshops.com
Instagram: @drybarshopsallen
Phone: (214) 509-5872
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City Lifestyle is the digital destination for local living - a one-stop-shop for hyper local, expertly created content that inspires and connections communities.
While other sites take a content-first approach to providing local information, City Lifestyle sets itself apart by positioning people first - creating a platform that emphasizes the best of what your city has to offer, created and promoted by the people who know it - and represent it best. These authentic voices in each city are key drivers of the brand by providing an inspiring, genuine and trusted look at life in their communities.
https://citylifestyle.com/allentx |  @allencitylifestyle
https://citylifestyle.com/plano |  @planocitylifestyle
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
(Upbeat Music)
(00:03):
Hello, this is Angie Burns, the owner and
publisher of Allen City Lifestyle, and
welcome to the Allen City Lifestyle
Podcast. On our podcast, we celebrate the
positive, supportive, and inclusive
contributions of local businesses,
organizations, and individuals making an
impact on our community. We like to
celebrate all of the amazing things that
are going on in Allen, Fairview, Lucas,
(00:25):
and Parker, and share them with our
listeners so that you know the best in
class businesses, the organizations
making a difference in our community, and
the individuals who are making an impact
on our residents here in our area.
Well, hello, Jamie Dawson. How are you,
my dear? I am fabulous. Yeah, well,
(00:46):
welcome to City Lifestyle with Angie
Burns. I am so excited to talk to you
today, and we're gonna learn so much
about dry bar. And there are a lot of
blow dry bars out there nowadays, but I
wanna know what makes dry bar special.
So, Jamie Dawson, the owner of Dry Bar
Allen, and soon to be Dry Bar Rocklaw.
That's right, hopefully in the works. So
(01:07):
excited about that, since that is another
one of our territories that we also
serve. So, tell us about dry bar, and
tell us how you got into being a dry bar
owner. Such a long story, where do I
begin? But first and foremost, thank you
for having me. This is very exciting. We
just completed a year,
365 days of being open.
Congratulations, Abby. Happy. Is it
birthday or anniversary? Anniversary.
(01:29):
Anniversary. Anniversary, anyway. Yes. I
should've brought a cake. But you know
what, whatever we can do to sip
champagne, I'm okay with that. There you
go, excuses. Excuses.
So, we're super excited to be an Allen,
but dry bar for me started almost a
decade ago. I was a bar fly, that's what
we call our members.
And it started for me, in my experience,
just wanting to do something really,
(01:49):
really quick and easy. At the time, I was
a single mom. I was newly widowed. I was
kind of in the moment of change in life
and just started going to dry bar because
it was a reprieve, it was easy. And it
made me feel better when I walked out and
to sip champagne, watch a nice chick
flick and talk to my stylist in 45
(02:09):
minutes was all I needed. And I started
going pretty regularly to the point where
I was almost going every week. So explain
the concept of dry bar for people who may
not understand what it means to have a
stylist and all of those things. Of
course, so dry bar is literally a blow
dry bar. That's all we do, we blow out
(02:31):
hair. There's no cuts, no color, nothing
fancy or no bells and whistles. There is
curl, there is curl. There is curl,
there's not curl. But not really bells
and whistles, but the brand itself is
under Well Biz Brands, which is a suite
of brands, newly acquired. A few years
ago, prior to that, it was started by a
woman by the name of Allie Webb, who
people might notice her from Shark Tank.
(02:52):
She's a pretty high franchisee, or
started the whole world of franchisees,
but she started her first dry bar in
California. And she started out as a
mobile business. Everything starts in
California, and comes to Texas, because
it's better and bigger in Texas. That's
right, but she started as a hairstylist
who was looking to just do blow outs for
people. She had a lot of clients that
were always on the road. So they didn't
(03:14):
have time to do cuts and color, they just
needed a great blow out. So Allie took
the concept and ran with it. And years
later, we're going on 15, 15 years later
of the brand, has infiltrated almost
every existence of blow outs. And when
you think about a blow
out, you think about dry bar.
And the logo, the butter cup, the yellow,
(03:34):
is just so synonymous with what people
understand. And happiness. It's happy.
It's happy, the yellow is happy. It is
happy, it is happy. So dry bar just began
as kind of this thing that just from a
woman's point of view, just made people
feel better. And that's kind of how I
entered into the scene. And sitting as a
member, getting my hair blown out, I just
(03:55):
looked around and I said, you know what?
I was at that time where I was needing a
change, wanted to do something different.
I'd spent the last 20 years in legal
marketing, working for a law firm, and I
just was ready to pivot. And pivot I did.
And I opened dry bar May 10th of 2024.
That's so exciting. And tell us a little
bit more about the product line of dry
(04:17):
bar, because that's very recognized as
well. And I had one of our staff members
after they came to our Bubbles Blowout
Botox Bling, (Laughing) we all call
these, I don't know, I like alliteration
and then I shoot myself in the foot. But
after they came down, they go, I didn't
realize that dry bar was like the dry bar
in the store that I buy my hair product.
(04:38):
She was like, I didn't realize it was the
same thing. So explain to us a little bit
about the product line within dry bar.
When you think about brand recognition
and you think about visibility, it kind
of strikes it, it's right up there at the
top. Whenever you walk by and see the
yellow, of course you're gonna equate it.
But it's also carried in Ulta Beauty in
Nordstrom, the line itself, all of the
hot tools, all of the products, hair
(04:58):
sprays, conditioners, shampoos. I use the
volumizing. The volumizing of the bell.
Yes, Southern Belle. Southern Belle.
All of our products are cruelty free,
vegan and cruelty free. That's also what
kind of makes dry bar products so heavily
influenced because it's also good for
your hair. It just doesn't smell good.
It's good for your hair. But it does
smell good. It smells amazing. Yes. And
(05:21):
just kind of doubling back a little bit
on the concept of dry bar, when you walk
in the bar, when you kind of think about
it, it is built on a bar. The concept is
a bar. So you'll see all of our products
named after either a drink or-- And all
of the hairstyles are named after drinks
too, which is super fun. Yes, yes, yes,
we have the Mai Tai and-- The Cosmopasma.
Yes, exactly. Yeah, I think that's the
(05:42):
one I use. Yes. So there's all these
influence that kind of equate it and just
make it something. It's more than just
being fun and kitschy. It's more like,
I'm gonna remember that because yeah, I
know it's named after a drink. So there's
some of those things that we like to
really double down on when we think about
our brand recognition and the brand
itself. But moreover, beyond that, dry
(06:03):
bar is just known to be a client
inclusive place. It's somewhere where we
really think about being centric to
clients and executing the perfect
blowout, but also providing the best
customer service we possibly can. We have
more fantastic information coming your
way. So stay with us because City
Lifestyle with Angie
Burns will be right back.
(06:26):
(Upbeat Music) At City Lifestyle, we only
partner with best in class businesses and
a lot of times people will ask me, well,
what does that mean? We do a very
rigorous vetting process for anyone who
is allowed to advertise in our
publications. We only partner with people
who are four and five star businesses and
to have great reviews with Better
Business Bureau, have all of their
(06:47):
licenses and certifications up to date.
We wanna make sure that our readers and
listeners are only being recommended
businesses who are going to go above and
beyond. So you know you are getting a
best in class business.
(Upbeat Music) And that's one of the
things that I noticed with your stylist.
I didn't know this, but your manager told
me this that even just to do blowouts,
(07:08):
you have to have a cosmetology license.
And I had no idea and I was like, so you
guys really know what you're doing. They
really do. But they are so friendly and
they are so, like everybody else, you
know, go to the hairstylist, it's like
going to the therapist. And when you go
with a group of girlfriends, it really
does become an event. It's not just, oh,
(07:28):
I'm gonna go get a blowout. It's I'm
gonna go have therapy, have a drink, have
a, you know, social time with my girls.
That's right. Like what do you see the
most of coming through? Is it people by
themselves in groups or events? Well,
you're asking me that question coming off
of prom season. (Laughing) We're just
getting into wedding season. We're
getting into graduation. Graduation and
wedding season, right? I will have to
tell you though, we love, love, love all
(07:50):
of our brides. We have a lot of brides
that do come through. We have a lot of
prom girlies that come through, a lot of
seniors that come through for their
senior pictures. But by far it's been
really the prom experience because the
girls are coming in. Some of them are
getting their hair done for the very
first time. And we've had a lot of
quinceanetas, we've had a lot. And our
biggest reveal, what we would call it,
(08:11):
and kind of seals the deal for most of
our customers is when they spin that
chair around. Because most of the time
you're looking at the TV, you're watching
your Hallmark movie. When they spin that
chair around and you look at that mirror
for the first time and the looks on these
girls' faces, it's priceless. So that by
far for me is just so fulfilling to see
everybody just light up. Yeah, I remember
when I took my team in, we all went in
(08:34):
with Brittany, my sales manager, and
Kathy, my publication director. We all
came in and got our hair done. And I
remember, thank goodness we had Grace and
our photographer there who was taking
pictures for your editorial because when
Brittany's chair turned around and they
captured the moment of her, I think we
all started crying because she had so
much self-confidence that we hadn't seen
(08:55):
in her. And it was just a beautiful
moment. She was like, "Oh my gosh, look
at how beautiful I am. "Look at how
pretty my hair is." And you would never
think that just getting your hair done
can give you that. So simple. She had a
bad day going in. But then when she left
and we captured it and then the hugs of
everyone afterwards, being able to
(09:16):
capture those moments was just so
emotional. And I never thought for a
second going in there that day that this
was gonna be an emotional day. We're just
gonna get a blowout done. This is gonna
be fun and a little bougie. And that's
exciting. But then it was like, oh, there
was so much more to it. It was so much
more complex than that. And I bet you see
that way more often but that's what makes
(09:38):
it so fulfilling for me coming in and as
an owner really imparting on my
leadership team and all my stylists the
why. Why we're doing this? Because it's
more than just getting people in the
chair, putting out as many blowouts as we
possibly can. It's way beyond the
revenue. For me, it was a place, a
culture that we wanted to build. We're in
a neighborhood. You're gonna see a lot of
these women all the time. We know their
(09:59):
kids' names. We know when they're
graduating. We know who's getting
married. We know who's going on vacation.
We call them by their first name because
that's important to me. That was the kind
of atmosphere I wanted to create. And so
much so that I also employ my stylists. A
lot of them are entrepreneurs in their
own right. They're coming off of booth
rentals and other salons and they're
really trying to start a business. A lot
of young stylists, really trying to help
(10:21):
them really ascertain what that skill
level is to take their professional
career to the next level. If Drybar is a
place, a stepping stone for them, I'm
grateful for that. So I encourage a sales
culture with my stylists and really get
to know your clients. Be centric to your
clients. Make sure they're requesting you
when they come in the building. You wanna
lock in some of those requests.
Therefore, you're getting to build those
(10:42):
relationships. So really trying to go
both ways. I want the client to have a
really great experience, but I want my
stylists to grow in their profession. And
so that's something that we really do
take very, very seriously in a culture.
So when you're building those
relationships, not only with your
stylists, but with the barflies that come
in. So barfly is real. They come back
(11:03):
over and over and over again and they're
like somebody. Sometimes they do. Yeah,
so there's memberships available. You can
actually be a member or you can just go
in for a one or done. Explain a little
bit about what those memberships look
like and how that works. Our memberships
are really cost savings for our client
because our average blowout price for
anybody coming off the street is $59. As
a member, you can sign up as a double
(11:23):
barfly, which gives you two blowouts a
month, three blowouts a
month and 10% off of your retail.
And then any additional blowout within
that month is also discounted. You can
also bring a Bestie in and you can do a
half off blowout for your Bestie. We also
have single memberships where you get one
blowout a month. So it's really just a
cost savings. Trying to, for those
clients that are coming regularly,
(11:45):
realizing that they can save a little bit
of money if they're going through the
conditioner and they're taking the
conditioner home, they can save on that.
We also provide perks for our members. So
we'll do popups in the shop. They're the
first to know about it. We also do fun
little giveaways. We give away hot tools,
raffle all the time. That's just
exclusive to our members in our market.
We do have what we had called founding
(12:06):
members. So when we first opened, which
we'll be doing this in Rockwall, for
anybody that is signed up as a founding
member, they're extra special to us
because they helped us get started. So we
do a lot of incentives for those members
as well, but it's a way to really help
our clients save on their blowouts,
especially if they're coming frequently.
So how frequent is your typical client?
Do they come once a month, twice a month?
(12:28):
Or are your typical clients the ones that
come in just for special events? My
typical client is probably two to three
times a month. Okay. Two to three times a
month. I have one client. It's even
addicted. It's like, once you go, you
can't stop. I wish today, you know. Oh,
I'm driving by. Let me go into the
drive-thru. Stay tuned. We will be right
back with City Lifestyle with Angie Burns
(12:48):
after these short announcements.
Thank you for tuning into City Lifestyle
with Angie Burns. We are committed to
being involved in our community and
giving back as much as we can. If you
would like us to come out and throw a
neighborhood block party for your
community, please contact us. We bring
out bounce houses, DJs, ice cream trucks,
(13:09):
and we would love to get your feedback on
our publication and introduce you to our
highly qualified and vetted advertising
sponsors. We do not sell anything at the
events. We just come out, throw a party,
and get to know our neighbors so that we
know how to best serve our community. So
let us know if you would like us to come
out to your neighborhood. We typically
serve our neighborhood for block parties
(13:29):
during the months of May, June, July, and
October for truck retreats. So reach out
to us at angie, A-N-G-I, dot, burns, at
citylifestyle.com to book your City
Lifestyle block party today.
We've got several clients that see us. We
(13:50):
have one client that books every Sunday.
And we know she's coming every Sunday,
and we know she likes a special tea
because we offer tea, coffee, champagne.
So we have our tea ready. We know she's
coming in. And she gets her week started
that way. So we have a lot of single moms
that come in. We have a lot of single
moms that come in that just don't have
time. So as soon as they drop their kids
(14:10):
off, they're gonna come by and go out. I
just don't know how to do the wavy curl
thing. So I come in and I'm just like, do
the curly thing that I don't know how to
do. So I can do the spiral curl. I can't
do the wavy curl. Just beach wave. Just
beach wave my hair, please. And then I'm
gonna try not to wash it for three days.
Yes, and to that point though, our
stylists were not stuck in certain
styles. That's part of the consultation
(14:31):
too when we sit down and that's also part
of being very client centric. We wanna
know what do you love about your hair?
What do you want your hair to do? What
doesn't your hair do? Well, how can I
help that? So we try, the stylist tries
to talk to the client to figure out where
exactly they can meet to make sure
they're achieving the right experience
for their hair. But you can just pop in.
Absolutely, hopefully not on a Saturday.
(14:54):
So don't pop in on a Saturday. Don't pop
in on a Saturday. We do encourage call
ahead bookings. We also love our
walk-ins. We have quite a bit of walk-ins
that'll come in. Now that we're in a
strip center that has some other
businesses, we see a lot of more walk-ins
coming in. We're able to accommodate them
when we can. So I know now there's a nail
salon open right next to you which hasn't
(15:14):
been there before and I haven't tried it
yet, but I will. So we can come in and be
like, "Oh, when can you get me in? Oh, it
can't be for two hours. All right, I'm
just gonna go next door and get the nails
done." That happens all the time. Go
across to Fairview Farmers, have a
beautiful walk-ins. That happens all the
time. That happens all the time. And then
just come back and pop back in. Very
cool. So tell us where exactly you're
located. How do people book appointments
(15:35):
with you? We are located on East Stacey
Road, 596. And you mentioned Fairview
Farmers. We're directly across the street
from Fairview Farmers.
And we're in suite 1120. And we've got
the dry bar sign right on the front
there. It's not lit at night. Let's not
get-- For those of you who don't know,
Fairview is very particular.
We're talking about lighting their signs.
(15:56):
We've had several clients that have had
that same issue with the city of, "Why
should we lock the liner sign?" They'll
get over it at one point. They'll get
over it at one point. Yeah, we do not
light our sign. It's a rubbing joke at
this point with anybody who has a
business in Fairview. We try, we try, but
they find us. But if you're looking for
us, the cross street is Greenville. Yes,
right across from the village at Allen,
right down from the village of Allen,
across from Fairview. There's a 7-Eleven
(16:17):
on the corner. And then, of course,
Fairview Farmers, everybody knows where
Fairview Farmers is. So now everybody's
gonna know where dry bar is. And they're
gonna start saying dry bar, it's right
across, Fairview Farmers, right across
from the dry bar. That's right, that's
right. And then if you wanted to book a
group, so how many people can you get in
the salon at once? Well, we have 10
chairs. We have 10 chairs, so a group
booking that would require a phone call
(16:38):
to our shop manager. Beth, who's amazing,
which you've met. Yes, Beth is amazing.
She will help fit everybody into their
schedule. We look at groups of five or
more as special group bookings. So we
take care of those a little bit
differently. We block off certain time
and certain stylists to make sure that
we're accommodating the group. Usually
it's for bridal parties or bachelorette
parties we've done. We did the CMA
(16:58):
Awards, just not too long ago, a group
that was going to that. So we like to
make sure that we've got the time to
really execute what we need for the
group. So we do encourage call ahead if
you're looking to bring in a group of
five or more. Okay, and then last
question, because it's my favorite thing,
tell me a little bit more about the
shampoo and scalp massage that you do at
(17:19):
dry bar, because it's amazing. If you
have not had a scalp massage at the dry
bar, you are missing out. It is by far,
it doesn't matter how high your stress
level is at that point when you come in
the bulk. It just talk about the essence.
You will melt. You melt. In fact, I had
somebody tell me today that they had a
client that fell asleep and we had to
(17:40):
like, I had to poker. And I was like,
it's okay. It's not supposed to happen.
That means you're
doing your job very well.
But the scalp massages are amazing. You
can add a scalp massage to any of your
blowouts. And a blowout, just for
clarification, does come with a wash. So
that's not an extra price. We do have dry
styling only. So if you already came in
with pre-washed hair and it was already
(18:01):
blow dry, we can just style it for you.
That's also an option. But the blowout
experience, adding on a scalp massage to
your blowout experience or even a deep
conditioner. We have our liquid glass
that has been highly popular in the past
two months, but we
can't keep it in the store.
But the scalp massage itself is amazing.
(18:23):
It's phenomenal. And I just, I can't do
it on myself. I can't, you know, I can't.
I know, I'm like, can I put my husband in
and you just tutor him on how to do this?
It's just, it's amazing. And you know,
all of the ladies that, and I have a
couple of gentlemen too in my shop
stylists that give our scalp massages.
Phenomenal. Phenomenal. Yeah, my favorite
(18:44):
part for sure, by far. Well, thank you so
much, Jamie, for coming in and teaching
us a little bit more about the dry bar
concept and who you are as a mom. And
congratulations on your kiddo graduating
this year. Very nerve wracking time, I'm
sure. It is very nerve wracking. We're
winding down, so yeah, change. Getting to
(19:04):
the end of the road, the light at the end
of the tunnel, but she's not going too
far. She's not, and you can also see her
at the dry bar. She is one of our
bartenders. She just greets everybody at
the front. And I love that you call the
stylist bartenders and the receptionist,
it's so fun. It's such a fun day and such
a fun time. So go check out the dry bar
in Allen, soon to be one in Rockwall as
(19:24):
well. And come meet Jamie, because she's
usually there. Every time I've been
there, you've been there. So she's
usually there. So you can say hello and
get your hair done and feel a boost of
confidence on your way out. Thank you so
much. Peace, love, and blow out.
(Upbeat Music) If you are looking for the
best place to market your business to our
local community, please consider City
(19:46):
Lifestyle Publications. I personally own
the Allen and Plano territories, but we
have over a dozen luxury publications in
our area. We are a nationwide brand, so
we have over 200 publications across the
nation. And we really do value high
editorial integrity, beautiful
photography, and making sure that your
story is told in a respectable and
(20:07):
beautiful way. So if you would like to
learn more about how to become an
advertising partner of City Lifestyle
Publications, feel free to reach out to
us, because we are your ticket in the
door to get you face to
face with your next client.
(Upbeat Music)
(Upbeat Music)
(00:03):
Hello, this is Angie Burns, the owner and
publisher of Allen City Lifestyle, and
welcome to the Allen City Lifestyle
Podcast. On our podcast, we celebrate the
positive, supportive, and inclusive
contributions of local businesses,
organizations, and individuals making an
impact on our community. We like to
celebrate all of the amazing things that
are going on in Allen, Fairview, Lucas,
(00:25):
and Parker, and share them with our
listeners so that you know the best in
class businesses, the organizations
making a difference in our community, and
the individuals who are making an impact
on our residents here in our area.
Well, hello, Jamie Dawson. How are you,
my dear? I am fabulous. Yeah, well,
(00:46):
welcome to City Lifestyle with Angie
Burns. I am so excited to talk to you
today, and we're gonna learn so much
about dry bar. And there are a lot of
blow dry bars out there nowadays, but I
wanna know what makes dry bar special.
So, Jamie Dawson, the owner of Dry Bar
Allen, and soon to be Dry Bar Rocklaw.
That's right, hopefully in the works. So
(01:07):
excited about that, since that is another
one of our territories that we also
serve. So, tell us about dry bar, and
tell us how you got into being a dry bar
owner. Such a long story, where do I
begin? But first and foremost, thank you
for having me. This is very exciting. We
just completed a year,
365 days of being open.
Congratulations, Abby. Happy. Is it
birthday or anniversary? Anniversary.
(01:29):
Anniversary. Anniversary, anyway. Yes. I
should've brought a cake. But you know
what, whatever we can do to sip
champagne, I'm okay with that. There you
go, excuses. Excuses.
So, we're super excited to be an Allen,
but dry bar for me started almost a
decade ago. I was a bar fly, that's what
we call our members.
And it started for me, in my experience,
just wanting to do something really,
(01:49):
really quick and easy. At the time, I was
a single mom. I was newly widowed. I was
kind of in the moment of change in life
and just started going to dry bar because
it was a reprieve, it was easy. And it
made me feel better when I walked out and
to sip champagne, watch a nice chick
flick and talk to my stylist in 45
(02:09):
minutes was all I needed. And I started
going pretty regularly to the point where
I was almost going every week. So explain
the concept of dry bar for people who may
not understand what it means to have a
stylist and all of those things. Of
course, so dry bar is literally a blow
dry bar. That's all we do, we blow out
(02:31):
hair. There's no cuts, no color, nothing
fancy or no bells and whistles. There is
curl, there is curl. There is curl,
there's not curl. But not really bells
and whistles, but the brand itself is
under Well Biz Brands, which is a suite
of brands, newly acquired. A few years
ago, prior to that, it was started by a
woman by the name of Allie Webb, who
people might notice her from Shark Tank.
(02:52):
She's a pretty high franchisee, or
started the whole world of franchisees,
but she started her first dry bar in
California. And she started out as a
mobile business. Everything starts in
California, and comes to Texas, because
it's better and bigger in Texas. That's
right, but she started as a hairstylist
who was looking to just do blow outs for
people. She had a lot of clients that
were always on the road. So they didn't
(03:14):
have time to do cuts and color, they just
needed a great blow out. So Allie took
the concept and ran with it. And years
later, we're going on 15, 15 years later
of the brand, has infiltrated almost
every existence of blow outs. And when
you think about a blow
out, you think about dry bar.
And the logo, the butter cup, the yellow,
(03:34):
is just so synonymous with what people
understand. And happiness. It's happy.
It's happy, the yellow is happy. It is
happy, it is happy. So dry bar just began
as kind of this thing that just from a
woman's point of view, just made people
feel better. And that's kind of how I
entered into the scene. And sitting as a
member, getting my hair blown out, I just
(03:55):
looked around and I said, you know what?
I was at that time where I was needing a
change, wanted to do something different.
I'd spent the last 20 years in legal
marketing, working for a law firm, and I
just was ready to pivot. And pivot I did.
And I opened dry bar May 10th of 2024.
That's so exciting. And tell us a little
bit more about the product line of dry
(04:17):
bar, because that's very recognized as
well. And I had one of our staff members
after they came to our Bubbles Blowout
Botox Bling, (Laughing) we all call
these, I don't know, I like alliteration
and then I shoot myself in the foot. But
after they came down, they go, I didn't
realize that dry bar was like the dry bar
in the store that I buy my hair product.
(04:38):
She was like, I didn't realize it was the
same thing. So explain to us a little bit
about the product line within dry bar.
When you think about brand recognition
and you think about visibility, it kind
of strikes it, it's right up there at the
top. Whenever you walk by and see the
yellow, of course you're gonna equate it.
But it's also carried in Ulta Beauty in
Nordstrom, the line itself, all of the
hot tools, all of the products, hair
(04:58):
sprays, conditioners, shampoos. I use the
volumizing. The volumizing of the bell.
Yes, Southern Belle. Southern Belle.
All of our products are cruelty free,
vegan and cruelty free. That's also what
kind of makes dry bar products so heavily
influenced because it's also good for
your hair. It just doesn't smell good.
It's good for your hair. But it does
smell good. It smells amazing. Yes. And
(05:21):
just kind of doubling back a little bit
on the concept of dry bar, when you walk
in the bar, when you kind of think about
it, it is built on a bar. The concept is
a bar. So you'll see all of our products
named after either a drink or-- And all
of the hairstyles are named after drinks
too, which is super fun. Yes, yes, yes,
we have the Mai Tai and-- The Cosmopasma.
Yes, exactly. Yeah, I think that's the
(05:42):
one I use. Yes. So there's all these
influence that kind of equate it and just
make it something. It's more than just
being fun and kitschy. It's more like,
I'm gonna remember that because yeah, I
know it's named after a drink. So there's
some of those things that we like to
really double down on when we think about
our brand recognition and the brand
itself. But moreover, beyond that, dry
(06:03):
bar is just known to be a client
inclusive place. It's somewhere where we
really think about being centric to
clients and executing the perfect
blowout, but also providing the best
customer service we possibly can. We have
more fantastic information coming your
way. So stay with us because City
Lifestyle with Angie
Burns will be right back.
(06:26):
(Upbeat Music) At City Lifestyle, we only
partner with best in class businesses and
a lot of times people will ask me, well,
what does that mean? We do a very
rigorous vetting process for anyone who
is allowed to advertise in our
publications. We only partner with people
who are four and five star businesses and
to have great reviews with Better
Business Bureau, have all of their
(06:47):
licenses and certifications up to date.
We wanna make sure that our readers and
listeners are only being recommended
businesses who are going to go above and
beyond. So you know you are getting a
best in class business.
(Upbeat Music) And that's one of the
things that I noticed with your stylist.
I didn't know this, but your manager told
me this that even just to do blowouts,
(07:08):
you have to have a cosmetology license.
And I had no idea and I was like, so you
guys really know what you're doing. They
really do. But they are so friendly and
they are so, like everybody else, you
know, go to the hairstylist, it's like
going to the therapist. And when you go
with a group of girlfriends, it really
does become an event. It's not just, oh,
(07:28):
I'm gonna go get a blowout. It's I'm
gonna go have therapy, have a drink, have
a, you know, social time with my girls.
That's right. Like what do you see the
most of coming through? Is it people by
themselves in groups or events? Well,
you're asking me that question coming off
of prom season. (Laughing) We're just
getting into wedding season. We're
getting into graduation. Graduation and
wedding season, right? I will have to
tell you though, we love, love, love all
(07:50):
of our brides. We have a lot of brides
that do come through. We have a lot of
prom girlies that come through, a lot of
seniors that come through for their
senior pictures. But by far it's been
really the prom experience because the
girls are coming in. Some of them are
getting their hair done for the very
first time. And we've had a lot of
quinceanetas, we've had a lot. And our
biggest reveal, what we would call it,
(08:11):
and kind of seals the deal for most of
our customers is when they spin that
chair around. Because most of the time
you're looking at the TV, you're watching
your Hallmark movie. When they spin that
chair around and you look at that mirror
for the first time and the looks on these
girls' faces, it's priceless. So that by
far for me is just so fulfilling to see
everybody just light up. Yeah, I remember
when I took my team in, we all went in
(08:34):
with Brittany, my sales manager, and
Kathy, my publication director. We all
came in and got our hair done. And I
remember, thank goodness we had Grace and
our photographer there who was taking
pictures for your editorial because when
Brittany's chair turned around and they
captured the moment of her, I think we
all started crying because she had so
much self-confidence that we hadn't seen
(08:55):
in her. And it was just a beautiful
moment. She was like, "Oh my gosh, look
at how beautiful I am. "Look at how
pretty my hair is." And you would never
think that just getting your hair done
can give you that. So simple. She had a
bad day going in. But then when she left
and we captured it and then the hugs of
everyone afterwards, being able to
(09:16):
capture those moments was just so
emotional. And I never thought for a
second going in there that day that this
was gonna be an emotional day. We're just
gonna get a blowout done. This is gonna
be fun and a little bougie. And that's
exciting. But then it was like, oh, there
was so much more to it. It was so much
more complex than that. And I bet you see
that way more often but that's what makes
(09:38):
it so fulfilling for me coming in and as
an owner really imparting on my
leadership team and all my stylists the
why. Why we're doing this? Because it's
more than just getting people in the
chair, putting out as many blowouts as we
possibly can. It's way beyond the
revenue. For me, it was a place, a
culture that we wanted to build. We're in
a neighborhood. You're gonna see a lot of
these women all the time. We know their
(09:59):
kids' names. We know when they're
graduating. We know who's getting
married. We know who's going on vacation.
We call them by their first name because
that's important to me. That was the kind
of atmosphere I wanted to create. And so
much so that I also employ my stylists. A
lot of them are entrepreneurs in their
own right. They're coming off of booth
rentals and other salons and they're
really trying to start a business. A lot
of young stylists, really trying to help
(10:21):
them really ascertain what that skill
level is to take their professional
career to the next level. If Drybar is a
place, a stepping stone for them, I'm
grateful for that. So I encourage a sales
culture with my stylists and really get
to know your clients. Be centric to your
clients. Make sure they're requesting you
when they come in the building. You wanna
lock in some of those requests.
Therefore, you're getting to build those
(10:42):
relationships. So really trying to go
both ways. I want the client to have a
really great experience, but I want my
stylists to grow in their profession. And
so that's something that we really do
take very, very seriously in a culture.
So when you're building those
relationships, not only with your
stylists, but with the barflies that come
in. So barfly is real. They come back
(11:03):
over and over and over again and they're
like somebody. Sometimes they do. Yeah,
so there's memberships available. You can
actually be a member or you can just go
in for a one or done. Explain a little
bit about what those memberships look
like and how that works. Our memberships
are really cost savings for our client
because our average blowout price for
anybody coming off the street is $59. As
a member, you can sign up as a double
(11:23):
barfly, which gives you two blowouts a
month, three blowouts a
month and 10% off of your retail.
And then any additional blowout within
that month is also discounted. You can
also bring a Bestie in and you can do a
half off blowout for your Bestie. We also
have single memberships where you get one
blowout a month. So it's really just a
cost savings. Trying to, for those
clients that are coming regularly,
(11:45):
realizing that they can save a little bit
of money if they're going through the
conditioner and they're taking the
conditioner home, they can save on that.
We also provide perks for our members. So
we'll do popups in the shop. They're the
first to know about it. We also do fun
little giveaways. We give away hot tools,
raffle all the time. That's just
exclusive to our members in our market.
We do have what we had called founding
(12:06):
members. So when we first opened, which
we'll be doing this in Rockwall, for
anybody that is signed up as a founding
member, they're extra special to us
because they helped us get started. So we
do a lot of incentives for those members
as well, but it's a way to really help
our clients save on their blowouts,
especially if they're coming frequently.
So how frequent is your typical client?
Do they come once a month, twice a month?
(12:28):
Or are your typical clients the ones that
come in just for special events? My
typical client is probably two to three
times a month. Okay. Two to three times a
month. I have one client. It's even
addicted. It's like, once you go, you
can't stop. I wish today, you know. Oh,
I'm driving by. Let me go into the
drive-thru. Stay tuned. We will be right
back with City Lifestyle with Angie Burns
(12:48):
after these short announcements.
Thank you for tuning into City Lifestyle
with Angie Burns. We are committed to
being involved in our community and
giving back as much as we can. If you
would like us to come out and throw a
neighborhood block party for your
community, please contact us. We bring
out bounce houses, DJs, ice cream trucks,
(13:09):
and we would love to get your feedback on
our publication and introduce you to our
highly qualified and vetted advertising
sponsors. We do not sell anything at the
events. We just come out, throw a party,
and get to know our neighbors so that we
know how to best serve our community. So
let us know if you would like us to come
out to your neighborhood. We typically
serve our neighborhood for block parties
(13:29):
during the months of May, June, July, and
October for truck retreats. So reach out
to us at angie, A-N-G-I, dot, burns, at
citylifestyle.com to book your City
Lifestyle block party today.
We've got several clients that see us. We
(13:50):
have one client that books every Sunday.
And we know she's coming every Sunday,
and we know she likes a special tea
because we offer tea, coffee, champagne.
So we have our tea ready. We know she's
coming in. And she gets her week started
that way. So we have a lot of single moms
that come in. We have a lot of single
moms that come in that just don't have
time. So as soon as they drop their kids
(14:10):
off, they're gonna come by and go out. I
just don't know how to do the wavy curl
thing. So I come in and I'm just like, do
the curly thing that I don't know how to
do. So I can do the spiral curl. I can't
do the wavy curl. Just beach wave. Just
beach wave my hair, please. And then I'm
gonna try not to wash it for three days.
Yes, and to that point though, our
stylists were not stuck in certain
styles. That's part of the consultation
(14:31):
too when we sit down and that's also part
of being very client centric. We wanna
know what do you love about your hair?
What do you want your hair to do? What
doesn't your hair do? Well, how can I
help that? So we try, the stylist tries
to talk to the client to figure out where
exactly they can meet to make sure
they're achieving the right experience
for their hair. But you can just pop in.
Absolutely, hopefully not on a Saturday.
(14:54):
So don't pop in on a Saturday. Don't pop
in on a Saturday. We do encourage call
ahead bookings. We also love our
walk-ins. We have quite a bit of walk-ins
that'll come in. Now that we're in a
strip center that has some other
businesses, we see a lot of more walk-ins
coming in. We're able to accommodate them
when we can. So I know now there's a nail
salon open right next to you which hasn't
(15:14):
been there before and I haven't tried it
yet, but I will. So we can come in and be
like, "Oh, when can you get me in? Oh, it
can't be for two hours. All right, I'm
just gonna go next door and get the nails
done." That happens all the time. Go
across to Fairview Farmers, have a
beautiful walk-ins. That happens all the
time. That happens all the time. And then
just come back and pop back in. Very
cool. So tell us where exactly you're
located. How do people book appointments
(15:35):
with you? We are located on East Stacey
Road, 596. And you mentioned Fairview
Farmers. We're directly across the street
from Fairview Farmers.
And we're in suite 1120. And we've got
the dry bar sign right on the front
there. It's not lit at night. Let's not
get-- For those of you who don't know,
Fairview is very particular.
We're talking about lighting their signs.
(15:56):
We've had several clients that have had
that same issue with the city of, "Why
should we lock the liner sign?" They'll
get over it at one point. They'll get
over it at one point. Yeah, we do not
light our sign. It's a rubbing joke at
this point with anybody who has a
business in Fairview. We try, we try, but
they find us. But if you're looking for
us, the cross street is Greenville. Yes,
right across from the village at Allen,
right down from the village of Allen,
across from Fairview. There's a 7-Eleven
(16:17):
on the corner. And then, of course,
Fairview Farmers, everybody knows where
Fairview Farmers is. So now everybody's
gonna know where dry bar is. And they're
gonna start saying dry bar, it's right
across, Fairview Farmers, right across
from the dry bar. That's right, that's
right. And then if you wanted to book a
group, so how many people can you get in
the salon at once? Well, we have 10
chairs. We have 10 chairs, so a group
booking that would require a phone call
(16:38):
to our shop manager. Beth, who's amazing,
which you've met. Yes, Beth is amazing.
She will help fit everybody into their
schedule. We look at groups of five or
more as special group bookings. So we
take care of those a little bit
differently. We block off certain time
and certain stylists to make sure that
we're accommodating the group. Usually
it's for bridal parties or bachelorette
parties we've done. We did the CMA
(16:58):
Awards, just not too long ago, a group
that was going to that. So we like to
make sure that we've got the time to
really execute what we need for the
group. So we do encourage call ahead if
you're looking to bring in a group of
five or more. Okay, and then last
question, because it's my favorite thing,
tell me a little bit more about the
shampoo and scalp massage that you do at
(17:19):
dry bar, because it's amazing. If you
have not had a scalp massage at the dry
bar, you are missing out. It is by far,
it doesn't matter how high your stress
level is at that point when you come in
the bulk. It just talk about the essence.
You will melt. You melt. In fact, I had
somebody tell me today that they had a
client that fell asleep and we had to
(17:40):
like, I had to poker. And I was like,
it's okay. It's not supposed to happen.
That means you're
doing your job very well.
But the scalp massages are amazing. You
can add a scalp massage to any of your
blowouts. And a blowout, just for
clarification, does come with a wash. So
that's not an extra price. We do have dry
styling only. So if you already came in
with pre-washed hair and it was already
(18:01):
blow dry, we can just style it for you.
That's also an option. But the blowout
experience, adding on a scalp massage to
your blowout experience or even a deep
conditioner. We have our liquid glass
that has been highly popular in the past
two months, but we
can't keep it in the store.
But the scalp massage itself is amazing.
(18:23):
It's phenomenal. And I just, I can't do
it on myself. I can't, you know, I can't.
I know, I'm like, can I put my husband in
and you just tutor him on how to do this?
It's just, it's amazing. And you know,
all of the ladies that, and I have a
couple of gentlemen too in my shop
stylists that give our scalp massages.
Phenomenal. Phenomenal. Yeah, my favorite
(18:44):
part for sure, by far. Well, thank you so
much, Jamie, for coming in and teaching
us a little bit more about the dry bar
concept and who you are as a mom. And
congratulations on your kiddo graduating
this year. Very nerve wracking time, I'm
sure. It is very nerve wracking. We're
winding down, so yeah, change. Getting to
(19:04):
the end of the road, the light at the end
of the tunnel, but she's not going too
far. She's not, and you can also see her
at the dry bar. She is one of our
bartenders. She just greets everybody at
the front. And I love that you call the
stylist bartenders and the receptionist,
it's so fun. It's such a fun day and such
a fun time. So go check out the dry bar
in Allen, soon to be one in Rockwall as
(19:24):
well. And come meet Jamie, because she's
usually there. Every time I've been
there, you've been there. So she's
usually there. So you can say hello and
get your hair done and feel a boost of
confidence on your way out. Thank you so
much. Peace, love, and blow out.
(Upbeat Music) If you are looking for the
best place to market your business to our
local community, please consider City
(19:46):
Lifestyle Publications. I personally own
the Allen and Plano territories, but we
have over a dozen luxury publications in
our area. We are a nationwide brand, so
we have over 200 publications across the
nation. And we really do value high
editorial integrity, beautiful
photography, and making sure that your
story is told in a respectable and
(20:07):
beautiful way. So if you would like to
learn more about how to become an
advertising partner of City Lifestyle
Publications, feel free to reach out to
us, because we are your ticket in the
door to get you face to
face with your next client.
(Upbeat Music)
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