March 6, 2008 Issue
Business Spotlight
Outersanctum Salon—Renew, Revitalize, Rejuvenate
Story by Sam Calhoun
“I did all of this so I could have cool hair,” laughed Brent Horner, co-owner of Outersanctum Salon.
Horner is always laughing. She laughs with customers, jokes with her husband and co-owner Jonathan Laurer and quips with the deliveryman. It’s part of the unique atmosphere of Outersanctum Salon—Boone’s newest full-service salon located at 215 Boone Heights Drive.
But don’t let Horner fool you—she didn’t start her own salon just to cut and color her own hair. Horner started Outersanctum Salon on September 22, 2007, to bring Aveda products and services to the High Country. Before Outersanctum opened, users of the eco-friendly hair care, skin care and air care products and services had to drive to Winston-Salem or further to find what they needed.
But that’s all changed. Outersanctum Salon carries the entire line of Aveda products, using them for most, if not all, of the services and selling all of them retail. In addition, Outersanctum Salon offers haircuts, color treatments, facials, body treatments, waxing and natural manicures and pedicures.
“We’re a full-service salon without massage,” said Horner, who decided not to offer massage because one of her business neighbors is a massage therapist.
Outersanctum Salon is the latest addition to Boone’s growing Wellness District on Boone Heights Drive, joining Bare Essentials Natural Market and the Wellness Center. Outersanctum fits this mold because Aveda products aim to be environmentally sound and globally sourced. For instance, Aveda color treatments are 97 percent naturally derived, and many Aveda ingredients are certified organic.
“Aveda locally sources a lot of its products,” added Horner, who said that all services at Outersanctum follow Aveda standards and include complimentary stress-relieving scalp and neck massages.
It was this attention to the environment while not sacrificing a result that led Horner to Aveda at a young age.
Born in Burlington, Horner went to high school in Greensboro and started getting her hair cut at an Aveda salon. She loved the Aveda idea, but it would be many years before she embraced it as her own.
From Greensboro, Horner came to ASU from 1985 to 1989 to major in English. In 1989, Horner moved to Raleigh and took a job at First Citizens Bank as a teller.
She met her husband Jonathan when he came in to make a deposit. At the time, he was attending North Carolina State University obtaining his bachelor’s degree in physics.
Horner and Laurer started dating and the couple stayed in Raleigh until 1996 while Laurer finished his PhD in material science. In 1996, the couple moved to Philadelphia so Laurer could do his post-doctorate research at the University of Pennsylvania. After 1.5 years in Philadelphia, Horner and Laurer moved to Lexington, Ky., where Laurer took a job at Lexmark in research and development. Horner enrolled in cosmetology school in Kentucky, a place where Aveda salons were commonplace.
In 2002, the couple had their first child—Jasper, who is now 5 years old.
In 2005, Horner started talking about opening her own Aveda salon but she decided that Lexington already had enough. That year, she and Laurer took a trip to Boone to visit old college friends Ken and Wendy Gordon, owners of The Gamekeeper. On the trip, Laurer fell in love with the High Country and proposed opening a salon in the area after determining that the closest Aveda outlet was in Winston-Salem.
The couple moved to Boone in 2005, Laurer took a job at IRC and Horner went to work devising her plan to open an Aveda salon in Boone.
“I wanted to bring Aveda here because I love it,” said Horner. “It was a perfect time and a perfect place.”
In early 2007, Horner found her location. The old Winn-Dixie building on Boone Heights Drive was being redeveloped and Horner could pick and choose the size of her space and the interior layout. Horner came in, decided she wanted 1,800 square feet and had a floor plan drawn up. Outersanctum Salon now includes a 500 square foot retail area, a 500 square foot styling and color bar area, a shampoo room, a manicure and pedicure room, a sanctuary and two treatment rooms.
Horner doesn’t cut hair any more but enjoys managing the business and connecting with customers. She has 5 employees trained in the specific art of Aveda haircutting and coloring. Because of the affiliation with Aveda, Horner and her employees also attend institutes on hair care and skin care.
Horner’s clientele are mostly women between the ages of 30 and 60. The area’s student population is just starting to catch on to Outersanctum Salon. The business is currently taking new clients and features a 15 percent new-guest discount and a 10 percent discount for ASU students, faculty and staff.
“We give awesome haircuts,” said Horner. “We can do long straight hair to extremely curly hair.”
Outersanctum is featuring a new wax from Paris called Cirepil. The wax is less painful than traditional waxes and does not stick to the skin. Also, Outersanctum features three distinctive facials that are exclusive to Aveda, including botanical resurfacing. Patrons can purchase all of the Aveda products used in Outersanctum’s services in the business’s retail area.
“The retail sales here have really kept us going,” said Horner. “And the services are starting to pick up.”
Outersanctum Salon features regional art on its walls from Phillip McGuire and Bobby Logic, and offers free Wi-Fi and relaxation tea to its customers.
“The atmosphere in here is different,” said Horner. “It’s got an urban feel in the middle of Boone, but it’s still very warm.”
Horner and Laurer plan to retire in Boone and are excited that their son will get to attend the new Watauga High School.
“We’ll be here,” said Horner. “Working with hair is very interesting to me—my mother was a cosmetologist—and I enjoy being around people too.”
Outersanctum Salon is located at 215 Boone Heights Drive beside Wings 2 Go. The salon is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and by appointment. For more information, call 828-264-8181 or click to www.outersanctumsalon.com.
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