Meet Candice Gliatto of Citrus Salon

During the lockdown, who among us wasn't tempted to try a little D.I.Y. haircare? Meet a local salon owner ready to fix what you did to yourself.

Candice Gliatto may have started out doing hair, but she’s a born businesswoman. She credits her family for her entrepreneurial drive.

“Both of my parents were business owners. Probably because we’re unemployable,” she says with a wry smile.

After graduating from high school, Gliatto attended beauty school while partnering with a family friend to start a salon business in 2003. By 2009, she had saved enough money to open Citrus Salon in a small spot along Main Street—all before she was 25 years old.

I was a salon owner right out of the gate. I wanted to be in downtown Martinez because I love it here.

Almost immediately, Citrus Salon was a success, becoming a vital part of Martinez’s up-and-coming downtown scene. Gliatto moved her shop to a larger space, and she brought on all of her stylists as employees. (Most salons typically rent out booths to independent hairdressers.) She moved the shop again in 2017 to its current location, making another big change in the process—she put down the shears and clippers to focus on running the business full-time.

“I just had a really clear vision for how I wanted to grow the business, so I needed to be able to implement certain structures to keep it consistent across the board,” she says. “As the salon grew, my passion was more about building the business and helping my team create really meaningful and successful careers.”

Eleven years later, the love she has for Martinez is still there, and the passion she has for helping others in their entrepreneurial pursuits extends far beyond the cozy styling chairs at Citrus Salon.

“She’s amazing,” says Ryan Geiser, owner of nearby Taco Daddy’s. “When I was opening my business, she was on the board of Main Street Martinez and was so helpful. I really have a lot of respect for her and how she treats her people. Her crew is her family.”

The salon reopened June 18 and now accepts online appointments. 620 Main St., Martinez, citrus-salon.com