Webster Groves salon named 2017 salon of the year

A St. Louis salon housed in a former basketball gym has earned national recognition for its design and services. 

The Boulevard Hair Company in Webster Groves was named the 2017 salon of the year by the magazine Salon Today. “Reclaimed barn wood and a magnificent 30-foot arched ceiling embrace clients in a retreat that pays tribute to a community’s rich history,” write the magazine’s editors. The salon is also on the cover of Salon Today‘s May/June issue.

After being nominated for the award by a beauty company, co-owners Abigail Culleton and Sierra VanMeter hired an architectural photographer and sent Salon Today their 10 favorite photos of the salon, along with descriptions about its design. Months later, the duo found out Boulevard had won.

“We were really shocked,” VanMeter says, adding: “When we heard we made top 20, we were just in awe. There were so many beautiful salons. It was kind of unreal.”

Originally built in the 1920s as a gymnasium, Boulevard’s building features the original wooden floors, which are refinished; unique styling stations made from reclaimed barn wood; a 30-foot lamella ceiling; and a mezzanine level. Culleton told Salon Today that older clients walk into the space and “marvel at the idea they once played basketball or attended socials here as children.”

VanMeter adds her work station is located on the free-throw line. “We tried to keep a lot of the history of the building, because the building is really unique,” she says.

The 6,400-square-foot space also boasts a wood and steel sign made by a local firefighter and a “Before ‘N After Photo Wall” for clients to pose in front of for social media pictures.

“We’ve designed everything with clients in mind—once they step inside, they sense an ease and energy to the space,” Culleton told Salon Today.

Culleton originally opened the salon in 2009 as Abigail’s on DeMun but outgrew the space five years later. She then joined forces with VanMeter to create Boulevard.