The owner of a well-established, full-service hair salon in Greenwich is eyeing a midsummer opening for a new location in downtown New Canaan.
Jaafar Tazi at his eponymous salon in Greenwich. Contributed
Jaafar Tazi’s eponymous salon will open July 15 on the second floor at 80 Main St., in the space formerly occupied by Li-Ann’s.
“Where there is demand, there is supply,” Tazi told NewCanaanite.com when asked why he chose New Canaan for the new salon.
“We have a lot of organizations, a lot of clients coming inside [the Greenwich location] from the New Canaan area and they always say there is nothing like our salon in Greenwich in their beautiful little town, so we are trying to brig that up here and we have a lot of people calling us to try and make appointments already.”
Jaafar Tazi Salon will occupy a 2nd-floor space at 80 Main St. in New Canaan. Credit: Michael Dinan
Known to scores of locals for preparing “models” for the Young Women’s League’s popular “Couture for a Cause” fundraiser, Jaafar Tazi Salon distinguishes itself for the “high-quality service we provide to clients,” Tazi said.
“We are always current with what we do and we have a very, very talented team that really meets the needs of those clients.”
Melissa Lindsay, a co-owner of Pimlico on Elm Street (which officially opens for retail on Tuesday) said she “won’t let anyone else touch” her hair.
Jaafar Tazi for years has prepared the ladies who model at “Couture for a Cause,” a fundraiser of the Young Women’s League.
A client of Tazi’s since before he opened his Greenwich shop in 2008, Lindsay said the hairstylist did her her for her wedding.
“He and I have spoken quite a bit about how great it would be for him to open in New Canaan, so it’s really exciting,” Lindsay said.
“I’m selfishly excited but also really excited because I think downtown New Canaan needs a beautiful, high-end salon that really gives great service and that is what he does,” she added. “He is so talented. I have probably given his name to 100 people who have commented and asked me who I go to see and he is the type to look at your hair and you and just do it, and it is so good.”
The salon’s services will include hairstyling and coloring—a specialty, Tazi said—as well as bridal services, nails and make-up.
Tazi said he plans to join the New Canaan Chamber of Commerce and become even more involved in local causes.
Laura Budd of the Chamber said the organization is “always happy when a new business opens up.”
“We look forward to meeting Jaafar and his team,” Budd said. “We know that the space was an existing salon that had a good clientele and we know also that the beauty category is very strong in New Canaan. Despite all the different options we have here in town, despite all the salons, each one seems to do well because they have loyal clientele.”
The specifically opening date, July 15, has special meaning to Tazi. It’s the date that one of his brothers, Mostapha Tazi, passed away, and he had also reserved it for the opening of his first location in Greenwich.
Asked about his impressions of New Canaan, the Norwalk resident said he long has visited friends here and “I’ve always been attracted by the community and beauty of New Canaan.”
“I actually always wanted to have a salon here,” Tazi said. “This has been a dream that I have had for the last seven years, and it’s coming to life.”