Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Bernardino.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Laura and I met working in a commission salon in 2013. We quickly became friends and a few years down the road Laura came to me with the idea to go out on our own and rent a loft space. Although nervous we decided to make the leap and worked in a loft from 2018-2021. In that time we went through Covid and experienced a loneliness working so isolated so we kicked around the idea of opening a small salon where we could have more interaction with other salon professionals. We opened up RAEN Color Studio in March of 2021 and quickly found some amazing stylists that wanted to come work with us. Fast forward a few years and we decided we were running out of room in our current space so we started looking to move. We found a perfect spot in Kirkwood, right off of Manchester Rd, not far from where we were already located. Although the space was almost three times the size of our current space we decided to make a leap again. We opened our current space in January of this year and we couldn’t be happier with that decision to move. We have since gained more wonderful stylists and are always looking for more!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Is anything worth having easy?! Haha! There have definitely been struggles along the way, mostly with our build outs. Contractors are rarely reliable unfortunately. However, both Laura and I have very willing family members and friends who helped out along the way. Without them we definitely wouldn’t have been able to get into a bigger space. The other struggle is just keeping our heads above water always trying to do what’s best for our business as well as our employees and renters.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
RAEN Color Studio is a full service salon in Kirkwood, Missouri. We have a beautiful space that faces Manchester Rd near Geyer. We have a mix of commission employees as well as renters in the space and everyone gets along great. Moving into a bigger space we were a little bit afraid of losing the comfortable “homey” type of feel that we like to give our clients, but we’ve been told that we’ve maintained that even though the space is much bigger. Laura and I specifically love doing color work! We specialize in blonding, full transformation services, vivids, curly hair and we give the best blowouts! We are so proud of the the experience we are able to give our guests, from always being welcoming when they walk in the door to offering snacks and beverages or even a phone charger, to the relaxing experience in our tranquil shampoo room. and the best blowout we hope you’ve ever had. We carry Loreal Professional, Mizani, Olaplex, Color Wow and a few select products from Kenra and Brazillian Blowout. Our stylist prices are based on a level system that directly corelates with their demand of time behind the chair so we generally have a stylist for everyone no matter your budget. Our goal is to make everyone feel welcome and safe in our space.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
We’re both born and raised in St. Louis although from different counties. We love St. Louis mainly because it’s home and where our families are located, but also because St. Louis really does offer so many attractions that are special to our city. The only thing we wish was different was a downtown area that was more accessible and safe to be in.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.raencolorstudio.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raen.colorstudio
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/raencolorstudiolaura
