Few people grow up to achieve those childhood dreams they doodled about in kindergarten. That’s not the case for Lisa Asselin. By the time she was 20, the owner of the Ecco Salon on Main salon and boutique on Main Street had already opened up her own shop in Pasadena, Calif.
“My father was a hairdresser, and by the age of 16 I was in school to become one as well,” Asselin says. “I had a full clientele list by the time I was 18.”
Word quickly spread throughout the small southern California city, and a few years out of cosmetology school Asselin was running her own brick-and-mortar store. Within a short period of time, the petite salon grew to three locations in Pasadena.
Eventually, she opened a larger location that employed 40-plus individuals—and attracted big-name clients like Maria Canalas from The Wizards of Waverly Place and Kim Coats from Sons of Anarchy.
“I was doing all of the celebrities’ hair, but I never watched TV so I didn’t know who any of them were!” she says.
In 1998, Asselin opened Ecco in Franklin on Fourth Avenue North. With salons in both California and Tennessee, she was flying back and forth across the country, but eventually decided that her heart was tied to Middle Tennessee.
“I just adore Franklin, both for the historical significance and for the way everyone knows and supports each other,” Lisa says. “It is truly the epitome of a Southern small town, and without being slow or small for that matter.”
Today, the full-service Ecco salon–which has a decidedly French feel–offers everything from haircuts and color treatments to spray tans, manicures and massages. The luxurious escape spot even provides skin treatments, including facials and acidic peels.
Just last week, the owner moved from her little spot to a new, sweeping space at 400 Main Street. She said she had always wanted to be in the 400 block, and it’s provided an opportunity for her to embrace her other passion: interior design.
The 15-year-old boutique recently received a major makeover, a spectacular interior accented with blue statement couches, faded, distressed brick walls and eye-catching crystal chandeliers.
To say that Lisa dabbles in interior design in her spare time might explain the pure fabulousness of the salon interior.
“We totally renovated the spot,” Lisa says. “We chipped all of the concrete off the walls and raised the ceilings… it was a lot of manual labor. But we turned a sad, dark space into a funky and bright room!”
Since they opened their doors at the new location two weeks ago, the salon is already experiencing higher volume.
“We have gotten to see so many new faces,” Lisa says. “People who didn’t know we existed before now are just walking in to our store because they are curious. The high visibility of this location is definitely going to do wonders for us.”
To learn more, visit their website at www.eccosalononmain.com. Ecco opens its doors each day at 9:30 a.m. closes Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 6 p.m., Thursdays at 8 p.m., Fridays at 5 p.m., and Saturdays at 3 p.m.
