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Sistr Studios a one-stop shop for beauty

BY ALEX GALLAGHER Progress Staff Writer

When Bryanna Casey relocated from New York to the Valley a decade ago, she had a vision for creating a creative space for beauty studio artists.

As a former makeup artist who worked in film and television as well as a producer for Fashion Week in New York, London, Milan and Paris, Casey had grown familiar with how agencies had created studios for hair, makeup and photography and was shocked when she did not see anything similar anywhere in the metro area.

And so, Casey recalled, “I wanted to create a team of artists that could offer services, which is where I started this agency.”

“With the companies and clients that we worked with, people began asking for specialty services for themselves so I figured, ‘Why not make them in-house and create a full-service salon?’” Casey said. “Out here, people are always particularly looking for hair and makeup combined.”

Casey also found a good niche for her artists: “We really focused on starting in the bridal aspect of things because that industry is so big out here and with the explosion of social media, we started to dabble in photography.”

Casey in August leased a space on the corner of Third Avenue and Marshall way in August, which she describes as the perfect central location.

“I feel like no matter where you go within the Phoenix Metropolitan area, Old Town is quite central for everybody,” she said.

Her next step was developing a name that paid homage to her family and also felt inviting to clients.

“I am one of four siblings – two sisters and a brother – and I always value the relationship one has with their sister, so the name felt organic but I wanted to make it unique I dropped the ‘E,’” Casey said. “Sistr Studios flows nicely off the tongue and it has that message for me. My sisters have had such an impact on my life, decision making and perspective which I felt was a nice way to keep family in what I am doing.”

Bryanna Casey feels she has achieved her vision for a high-end studio with her opening of Sistr in Old

Town. (Special to the Progress)

seeSISTR page 26

2 hotels change hands with big plans afoot

PROGRESS NEWS STAFF

Two hotels have recently changed hands and one of them is due to be converted into an apartment building while the other is slated for an upgrade. TheScottsdale-based investment firm Sterling Real Estate Partners recently acquired Suites on Scottsdale in an offmarket transaction with plans to convert the hotel into market-rate apartments while Florida-based Driftwood Capital bought the Scottsdale Resort at McCormick Ranch with plans for a multi-million-dollar renovation. Originally built in 1996, the 114-room extended stay Suites at Scottsdale, at the corner of Scottsdale and Mountain View roads, will be transformed into a luxury, 85-unit apartment community – the second Sterling adaptive reuse project.

“The location of this property could not be better. There are not many corner locations at prominent intersections on Scottsdale Road,” said David Zeff, President of Sterling Real Estate Partners. “We are excited about the value proposition. We will be delivering essentially new product at a significant discount to replacement cost.” This is also Sterling’s fifth acquisition in the last six months, totaling more than $60 million.

Sterling had the Suites at Scottsdale under contract since December 2020 while it processed a change in use from hospitality to residential.

“We took a risk during COVID and are delivering value to our partners,” Zeff

Her next was designing the space’s interior and said her main focus was creating a place that “would not look like any other photo studio, salon or anything that you would see around here.”

She gives kudos to her design partner, Kaitlyn Wolfe, for helping her to stay on track for a February soft opening. “Anybody can come here and feel comfortable,” she said. “We’re super welcoming to all styles and techniques. Anything that clients are looking for can be found here.”

She feels the studio’s high-end ambiance matches the level of professionalism offered by the artists and their services.

“My goal is to offer a high-end luxury experience that is all encompassing,” Casey said. “I felt that the level I want to provide for clients ties into the overall feel of life in Scottsdale.”

Casey also made it a point to only sell items in the studio that are created by friends she made during her tenure with Fashion Week.

“As far as the items we offer for retail, I wanted to incorporate a lot of my relationships from fashion week,” she said. “I didn’t want to carry brands for the sake of carrying brands, so all of the lines that I carry here come from assistants of mine from Fashion Week and who started their own hair brands.”

“All of the products are focused on hair health by being organic, clean products,” Casey said. “These are high-end brands that are doing this in a way that their carbon footprint is smaller on the environment, which is very important to people now.”

Now that the shop has opened likely will be filled by the end of the month, Casey has ambitious plans for the future.

One of her short-term ideas is to host pop-up art galleries to attract the local arts crowd.

“I’ve always been in the industry of arts so I would like to eventually do pop-up galleries in the studio and incorporate all aspects of artists in Scottsdale,” she said. “I felt like because it is so art focused in this area that this is a perfect area to have a concept like this in.”

And she’d like to expand her concept.

“If this is successful, I would love to take this concept and expand it to multiple locations,” she said. “This is a concept that could really succeed because it is so unique. My goal is to have this one be successful enough to open a second location or multiple locations for that matter.”

Information: sistrstudios.com

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Bryanna Casey feels Sistr’s ambiance is welcoming and refl ective of the beauty artists who work

there. (Special to Progress)

HOTELS ���� page 24

said, adding development will begin this summer with completion estimated for early next year.

The conversion will consist of modifying the existing structure to conform to Scottsdale building codes and will include 54 one-bedroom units, 29 twobedroom and two three-bedroom with the units ranging in

Plans also call for new balconies for every unit, enhanced curb appeal and new amenities such as a large conference room with workspace-style offices, state-of-the-art indoor/outdoor fitness center, yoga studio, movie theater, dog park with pet washing station, resort style pool, automated package locker delivery system, smart access system, and more.

“We have designed this community to meet the desires of the high-quality tenant we know this location will attract,” said Lea Ann Scofield, Sterling’s director of asset management.

Meanwhile, Driftwood Capital, a vertically integrated commercial real estate firm, has big plans for the Scottsdale Resort at McCormick Ranch, a sprawling, hacienda-style resort with 326 guestrooms on 16 acres. Built in 1976 as the first true conference center resort in the country, the AAA Four-Diamond resort is located next to two 18-hole championship golf courses and boasts 90,000 square feet of indoor-outdoor meeting and event space, two outdoor swimming pools, a spa and fitness center, three food and beverage outlets, and an on-site UPS store.

Driftwood said it will convert the hotel to a Curio Collection by Hilton, which the hotel chain describes as “a global upscale brand of one-of-a-kind hotels and resorts handpicked for their distinct character.”

Plans also call for new food and beverage concepts, a complete revamp of the resort-style pool, and a new and expanded spa and fitness center. “The Scottsdale Resort at McCormick Ranch presented Driftwood with a rare opportunity to acquire a one-of-a-kind, institutional-quality hotel in one of the country’s top tourist markets,” said Johannah Rodriguez, managing director of acquisitions with Driftwood Capital. “This property gives our team a ‘blank canvas’ on which to project our longterm vision for a four-star Sonoran resort offering an upscale retreat for the leisure traveler and unrivaled facilities and services for the group/business traveler as well.” Driftwood CEO Carlos Rodriguez Sr., added, “Scottsdale’s demand drivers – the year-round warm temperatures, elite corporate business community, and growing population – all factored into why this was an appealing offering.

“Ultimately,” Rodriquez continued, “we saw an opportunity to acquire a truly unique hotel asset with considerable upside potential, located in one of the most desirable pockets of one of the top real estate markets in the country. This met all our rigorous investment criteria, and we’re delighted to take the next steps in realizing this property’s true potential.”

Renovations of the hotel will begin this year with transforming all guest-facing areas of the hotel, including all guest rooms in the McCormick Building and The Stillman Building, which has not been renovated since 2003.