Owner grooming Ace of Fades for success
BETHEL PARK – A longtime hairstylist with significant management experience, Christina Narby had an opportunity to break out on her own. She seized that chance in mid-December, a holiday gift to herself.
“This popped up and I checked it out,” Narby said of a location in Bethel Park where a hair salon, Heads Up, had operated previously. She said she bought the space from a man who had retired and began developing her entrepreneurial enterprise.
Narby launched Ace of Fades and Cuts LLC on Dec. 15 at 441 McMurray Road. Narby is the owner and a stylist there, a destination catering mostly to males. “I’m more men’s hair, stylings and beards,” she said.
Three-plus months later, Narby is pleased with her decision. “Everything has lined up and has been great,” she said during a recent interview inside the second-story shop.
Ace of Fades and Cuts is in a business-friendly location, in the midst of a populous area that is convenient to motorists. The salon sits in a section of Bethel that is near or adjacent to a number of South Hills communities, including Peters Township, Upper St. Clair, South Park and Mt. Lebanon.
She signed ownership papers on Dec. 12 and soon embarked on renovating her section of the building.
“I worked here on weekends because I wanted all of the renovations to be completed before our grand opening,” a weeklong fest planned for the beginning of March. The event unfolded on time and the large public turnout pleased her.
Narby, who resides in South Park, did not only oversee renovations in the 1,080-square-foot salon. She has a flair for design, which is reflected in the tasteful touches she applied herself. “I painted all of the walls, did flooring and put the mural up.”
Narby also added a mini-refrigerator that is stocked with beer for patrons.
Selecting an appealing name for the salon seemed to be a breeze, and Narby decided upon one that she believed to be unique. She found out that Ace of Fades and Cuts – a takeoff on the playing card Ace of Spades – proved to be unique only in Bethel Park. Shops in Mars and Cranberry, north of Pittsburgh, have adopted the Ace of Fades designation as well.
“I thought it was a great choice,” she said. “Then I found 75 others wanted Ace of Fades,” Narby said, laughing. “It was a weird coincidence.”
Ace of Fades and Cuts was a valid branding nonetheless.
A native of DuBois, Narby has devoted nearly three decades to the hairstyling industry. She held management positions at multiple locations in the massive Sports Clips chain, which has more than 1,800 locations in the United States and Canada.
Narby has broken out of the chain, so to speak, running her own endeavor.
Narby is assisted by two staffers from Heads Up – sisters Jane Metz and Mary Beth Semencar. One stylist and one male barber will come on board in mid-April. That barber will handle straight razor shaves.
Ace of Fades and Cuts is open for business every day but Sunday. Hours will be 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday; and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.