We love getting to know fellow small business owners, and this time we’re meeting the duo behind the Lorenzo Pasquale salon. Lorenzo and Pasquale are the owners of the popular hair salon on Route 46 in the Boro. Let’s chat!
How long has your salon been open and what made you choose Rockaway Borough to open it in?
The salon has been in business for 13 years. We bought it off a friend and at that time most of the space was used as a beauty supply store with a little salon set up in the back. We chose Rockaway because we live here. There is something very rewarding about being part of the community you live in. You’re not just a business making money in a specific town for some specific reason, you’re a business owner taking part in the progress and growth of the community you live in. The commute is really short too.
What are your specialties?
We pride ourselves in being a full service salon. Our main specialties are current color trends and cuts. Our stylists are very diverse in their craft and their unique strengths make for a great team. Our clients can go to one stylist for one service and switch to another stylist for another. Our clients really get to know the entire team and we love that about our salon.
Did you two always want to be hairstylists and salon owners?
Every Italian’s dream is to become a professional soccer player and when that doesn’t work out you become a hairstylist. Actually, that was Pasquale’s dream, mine has always been to be a hairstylist. In Italy hairstyling is a trade, you start learning it from a young age and work your way from the bottom up. Ownership is a major accomplishment here and abroad, so being business owners is basically the ultimate goal.
What has been your most unusual request?
It is not “most unusual” per se, but “most challenging.” Many clients see a social media post going from black hair to platinum blond hair and think it’s a one time deal process. It takes multiple processes to achieve that kind of end goal.
What is your favorite bite to eat in Rockaway?
We love supporting our fellow local business owners, so that is a hard question to answer. Luckily, we are foodies in this family so we tend to eat at many of the local restaurants. We are lucky that we have a small community of business owners that we can call friends, so from Thai to Hondurian food, we love them all. Now, when we want Italian, we are at Caffe Navona talking to Marco ’til the place closes down.
What is your best advice for someone starting their own business?
Every business comes with challenges, especially after the last 2 years. Our advice is to really know the business you are getting into and love it. Working with the public is not an easy job, but it’s really rewarding when you make your clients happy not just over the service, but of themselves. Stay true to the core of your business, but be open to changes. Nothing stays the same and if you want to be successful you have to be able to adjust to the ever changing world we live in.
Lorenzo Pasquale Hair Design
179 Route 46 W, Rockaway, NJ
973-625-1771
instagram.com/lphairdesign_
lorepashair.com
