‘You must live in Farragut;’ Complete Suites fills salon needs
Erica Perry knows how important salon services are, even though she does not come from a salon background.
The Farragut resident, who oversaw the successful opening of Complete Suites, 12748 Kingston Pike Suite 206 in Renaissance| Farragut last fall, realized the need for salon services even before leaving Florida three years ago.
“I don’t go to salons myself very often, but I do love what they do,” Perry said. “(In Florida) I had neighbors who had very successful sideline salon franchises. I was really impressed with the business model.”
As a mom of two — yet with a background in architecture, graphic design, marketing and web design — she realized managing such an enterprise was something she could juggle with her other responsibilities.
Perry, her husband, Christopher Perry, and two sons, Trace and Cade, moved to Farragut after her father suggested the community.
“’You must live in Farragut,’” Perry said her father told her. “He said he had heard Farragut was a family-friendly place, a place where you want to be, very regulated and very safe.
“We did come here on vacation and were impressed. ... I just loved how Farragut cherished its green spaces,” she added.
Since moving to Town, “what I love about here is the level of niceness, where the people are not pretentious,” Perry said.
“It is a loving and kind place to be.”
She began sear-ching potential business locations not long after relocating, and found “all of the (prospective) competitors I looked at were fully booked out,” Perry said. “I certainly saw the need here.”
As for the specific location, she also noted, “there were no salon suite businesses in either Tellico Village or Lenoir City, and this location would capture this population as well as Farragut’s.”
Renaissance | Farragut was the logical locale: this specific location had previously housed a spa, and it also was near her home.
Perry said she spent a year looking for the right site — and almost gave up before finding the availability.
“I saw the Myers Brothers sign and called them,” she added. “I could really feel God in all of it and felt so good about them from the beginning.”
Even though it was a two-week wait to hear back that her offer was accepted, Perry said, “God just put it on my heart: ‘You’re going to get this.’”
She designed the space, ensuring a reconstruction, which allowed space for a trey-ceilinged foyer and added acoustic ceiling tiles to mitigate noise. A security panel also was installed.
Perry elected not to join a franchise, but instead just created her own business, which she may decide to franchise in the future.
“The beauty of not doing a franchise is I can do what I want,” she said with a smile.
Complete Suites was fully booked when it opened in September, and houses 16 businesses: Lotus Hair Studio; Magnolia Hair Company; Jess Lash; Artistry by Gabs; Glamour; Sage Salon; Bella Mia; Lucky 7’s Studio; Lashes with Erika; Kontour Beauty; Beauty by Iris; Skin by Jenn; Modern Faces by Katy; Melt Wax Co.; Boho Wax Company; and Vanity Hair by Lindsay.
“We provide the built-out space that small businesses need to be successful — either furnished or unfurnished. Members just need to bring their tools and their talent,” Perry said, also noting she “loves the idea” of helping these small businesses.
“Truly it is about property management — being there when they need us and giving support,” she added.
For more information, visit www.completesalonsuites.com.
