Virtue Vegan Salon expands, opens 2nd set of doors in Brewery District

Lucy Lawler, Molly Goheen
Fri, 10 Mar 2023 01:11:25 +0000
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Virtue Vegan Salon, a vegan and eco-friendly salon, recently opened a second location in the Brewery District. Credit: Angela Fortin

Melanie Guzzo never planned to own a salon. Now, she owns two.

Guzzo, a 2007 Ohio State alumna, said she founded Virtue Vegan Salon in 2010 with goals of promoting environmentalism and providing professional development opportunities for fellow hairdressers. Vegan and eco-friendly, the salon specializes in haircuts and coloring, she said. Though Virtue has operated out of a single Clintonville location for the past 13 years, it opened a second location in the Brewery District in February.

The new salon, located at 690 S. High St., will host a grand opening celebration Friday from 7-10 p.m., Guzzo said. In addition to a vegan food truck, a handful of local vendors will be present.

“We just want people to be able to see our space and know that we’re here,” Guzzo said. “I really envision that when we have an event like this, we’re going to start building more connections with the community.”

Guzzo said she became a vegan in her early 20s, but her values of recycling and repurposing were deeply ingrained in her from an early age. In fact, using a hand-me-down chair while cutting her father’s hair as an adult partly inspired Virtue Vegan Salon’s emphasis on sustainability, she said.

“I’d use my great-grandfather’s barber chair that was in the garage, and it had an ashtray full of cigarette butts because that’s just what people did back then,” Guzzo said. “I never cleaned it out. I never thought much of it. And suddenly, it became clear to me, that was the cornerstone of Virtue Salon.”

Guzzo said all products used by Virtue are paraben and sulfate free. Reusing furniture and composting hair are two other ways Virtue contributes to a greener Columbus, she said.

Ensuring every client leaves feeling confident regardless of their circumstances is also a top priority, Guzzo said.

“You’ll see somebody coming in that’s maybe 80 years old and wants purple in their hair,” Guzzo said. “Or maybe they are, you know, 15 years old, and they’re getting their first highlights.”

Prior to becoming a craft hairdresser at Virtue Vegan Salon Brewery District, Louie Rice Jr. worked at its Clintonville counterpart for roughly 8 1/2 years, he said. Despite fulfilling identical purposes, both salons are capable of flourishing independently, Rice said.

“People can walk in and know this is Virtue, but it has its own kind of taste, which I really appreciate,” he said.

Still, Rice said a refill program is one of Virtue’s consistent features. Patrons who purchase a full-size shampoo or conditioner at the salon can bring back empty bottles and refill them at a 20 percent discount, he said.

As a queer person, Rice often gravitates toward executing gender and identity-affirming haircuts, he said. Rice said the prospect of connecting with new, queer customers is exciting.

“I think my biggest goal is to kind of tap into the queer, LGBTQ community in the Brewery District and German Village,” Rice said.

Rice is grateful to work in a creative atmosphere with ample support from those around him, he said. Seeing anywhere from 10-13 clients a day means boredom is scarce, Rice said.

“It’s very much a community space,” Rice said. “I am cutting hair with my favorite people in the world.”

Going forward, Guzzo said she hopes Virtue will grow its success. Virtue’s in-house teaching program — LevelHead Academy — will also develop as it continues to offer classes for hairdressers, salon owners and industry professionals.

“One of my goals is to see that education space just thriving over the next couple of years,” Guzzo said.

More information about Virtue Vegan Salon, as well as its grand opening event, can be found on Virtue Vegan Salon’s Instagram or official website.