Building boom keeps hair salon on the move

By Dyana Bagby

Richie Arpino has been cutting and styling hair in Buckhead since 1980. But the recent building boom has put his salon on the move, and like many in modern Buckhead, he’s gone from a house to a highrise.

For its first 33 years, Arpino’s salon was in a spacious, two-story house on West Paces Ferry Road, where his clients included actress Julia Roberts. That house was purchased by a developer who built a highrise on the property in 2012, Arpino said.

“But I couldn’t move out of Buckhead because that’s where my clientele is,” Arpino said.

A friend owned a strip mall, Pharr Road Shopping Center, where Arpino was based for three years. Businesses were booted from the strip mall this year for major renovations.

Faced with finding another location in Buckhead, Arpino decided to take advantage of Buckhead’s booming highrise market. This month, Arpino reopened his namesake salon at 550 Pharr Road, the vintage 9-story building with the iconic red entryway located across the street from the Post Office.

“If everything is being torn down and built into a highrise, why not move into a highrise?” Arpino said.

Located on the fifth floor, Arpino Salon is the only hair salon in the building where several fitness and spa businesses operate. Bangkok Station, a Thai restaurant, opened last year and is located on the ground floor.

“I’ve never been up in the sky,” Arpino said. “I think I’m going to start a new trend.”

Arpino hails from New York, where he learned his trade at the renowned Maximus Salon. He said clients love coming to the new location where they can view Buckhead from the salon’s balconies with a glass of wine and catered lunch from Bangkok Station.

“Our clients are loving it. I’m calling it the spa building of Buckhead,” he said.

Arpino made a name for himself when he was the stylist for Roberts when her film “Steel Magnolias” premiered in Atlanta in 1989. He’s gone on to cut and style the hair of other numerous celebrities including Brooke Shields and Andi McDowell.

Even though Georgia has become a movie-making haven, Arpino said his chance of working with celebrities is less likely.

“Now when a celebrity comes to Atlanta, they bring their own hair and makeup person,” he said.

Those working at 550 Pharr Road tend to be young people, Arpino said, so his salon markets to their needs. A Friday “Glow and Blow” special includes a spray tan and hair style combination.

“So you can look great when going out on a Friday night,” he said.

The building where he works also has a history that Arpino remembers fondly.

“I remember when the building had the Pharr Library nightclub [on the ground floor] and I would dance all night,” he said.

In 2012, there were plans by a company to renovate the aging offices at 550 Pharr Road into apartments. That didn’t work out and the building was purchased last year by investors who wanted to keep the building for office space while also updating and renovating the building.

“I wake up and can’t wait go to work. Everyone comes into the building and says they feel like they’re in New York,” he said.

The location has other assets, including two levels of free underground parking. The building is about 80 percent full, Arpino said, and when the building is full the business owners will chip in for valet service for clients.

“Each floor is a different primary color,” Arpino said. “My floor is a beautiful blue. The building is fresh, clean and modern.

“It’s nothing like when I went to the Pharr Library nightclub back in the day,” he said. “I can’t wait to go to work every day.”

Business Briefs

Cobbler Union is now open at Ponce City Market offering luxury men’s shoes made in small batches in Spain. The store was founded in Atlanta by Daniel Porcelli and Stephen Beehler. For more information, visit cobbler-union.com.

Law firm Polsinelli has moved its Atlanta office to One Atlantic Center, 1201 West Peachtree St. in Midtown. The move is due to the growth of the office, driven by an increase in demand by national and local clients with legal needs in areas of labor and employment, health care, real estate, and white collar and internal investigations. Polsinelli opened its Atlanta office in 2014 with a focus on labor and employment and litigation matters.

BankSouth has named Kim Nelson, its current mortgage subsidiary CEO, as their Atlanta Market President. The bank branch and current mortgage headquarters has also relocated from their Hammond Drive location in Sandy Springs to the Forum at West Paces in Buckhead. Nelson will remain CEO for BankSouth Mortgage and is charged with running the bank’s Atlanta operations.

Enjoy, an online technology shop and delivery service created by the former head of Apple retail, has launched in Atlanta. Customers buy a product at Enjoy.com, which offers everything from Apple TVs and iPads to drones and GoPro cameras, and the item is delivered to a designated location at specific time. The expert delivering the product will spend up to one hour with the customer teaching them how to use their new gadget.

Live Nation, the concert promoter and organizer of the annual Music Midtown festival, has announced it will donate $100,000 to Piedmont Park. This funding comes of out the

“I’ve proceeds from this year’s Music Midtown and is an additional commitment from Live Nation, which already donates $400,000 each year to Mayor Kasim Reed’s Centers of Hope initiative and pays for 100 percent of the remediation of Piedmont Park following the event.

The Atlanta Workforce Development Agency has been awarded a $1.1 million grant by the U.S. Department of Labor. The grant will support the Agency’s YouthBuild program, which has helped over 120 out-of-school youth since 2012. YouthBuild is a community-based, alternative education program that provides job training and educational opportunities for at-risk youth, ages 16-24. The program participants work on completing their high school or state equivalency degree; earn industryrecognized certifications within in-demand occupations; and gain construction skills training to build housing for low-income or homeless individuals and families in their communities.

Sprouts Farmers Market has announced it will open eight new locations in he first quarter of 2017, including one in Decatur in the Decatur Crossing development, 2551 Blackmon Drive. The store is expected to hire 100 workers. To apply, visit sprouts.com/careers. Sprouts offers fresh produce, bulk foods, dairy, meat and seafood, bakery, deli, vitamins, body care and more.

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North Decatur Square, a mixeduse development that includes a Whole Foods 365 store, was approved by the DeKalb County Commission on Sept. 27, according to a report from Decaturish. The project by developer S.J. Collins will be located at North Decatur Road and Church Street and will include 200 to 300 apartment units.

The Kodak building at the corner of Ponce de Leon and Argonne Avenue in Midtown will be redeveloped into a medical office. According to a report from Atlanta Curbed, the circa-1950 building was the former Star Photo camera shop and the Kodak film sign on the roof has become a local landmark. The building will be transformed into Salveo Integrative Health, a progressive healthcare organization.

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