It started in 2001 with a vision and a small salon. Now,
opening its third location, Zorganics Beauty Salon and Day Spa is filling a
much-needed niche in the Bellingham beauty care business by treating all types
of ethnic hair with organic products, according to founder and owner Frida
Emalange.
“I
had a vision and I just had to bring it to life, this something I have been
working towards for a long time,” said Emalange. “I didn’t envision opening up
three locations, but after being here for a while I realized there was a need
for it.”
The
grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Meridian neighborhood’s
Zorganics will be on Friday March 9, according to Emalange, whose need for
expansion has allowed her to open up two salons in Bellingham and one in
Bellevue.
“It’s
more a following of a dream, you just have to do it. If you do it right, there
are rewards,” said Emalange. “I now have the opportunity to have more
employees, and I have had the same clients for many years but new people are
coming in every day.”
Emalange
said she was reluctant to move into the Meridian location because it was empty
for so long, but when she learned Marshalls was moving into the area, she looked
into it more seriously.
“This
is a great time to go in there and fill in spots and create something good,”
said Emalange. “It’s an aspiration for other small businesses to fill in spaces
and help the Bellingham economy.
A
salon like Zorganics that uses natural and organic products is very important
in a town like Bellingham, where people are very organically conscious,
according to Zorganics employee Lindsey Frazier.
“We
are a one-stop salon, but now we have more facilities,” said Frazier. “Frida
[Emalange] has a very loyal client base and people have just been coming in to
see the new store.”
Emalange
said she was drawn to the Meridian location because of the surrounding
businesses, the foot traffic, the potential of customers coming down from Canada,
and the great parking lot.
The
expansion has helped allow Zorganics to sell their products online and also
gave Emalange the great experience of designing everything in her salon to her
preference, right up to the pedicure chairs, according to Emalange.
“I
think it is well needed, so people don’t have to go to more than one place to
have an experience with the same people you trust,” said Zorganics employee
Shelly Crabtree. “But it’s also a brand new salon, and people always want to
see what is new.”
Emalange
said the customer feedback has been great, which has helped make the expansion
into the new large Meridian space a natural transformation.
While
the grand opening for the new location is set for Friday, March 9, Emalange
said the Meridian salon had a soft opening early in February to allow her to
train her employees.
“The
purpose of the grand opening being a little later is to help employees train
first, it’s very important,” said Emalange. “The products I use aren’t common
in Bellingham, and it takes a lot of time to learn, a lot of preparation.”
Emalange
said that while they often use their own product line “Zorganics”, there is
more to it than just that and there are other natural products out there that
she likes and uses.
“I’m
excited to try our services and I’ve found everything to be really top
quality,” said Crabtree. “The products to me are amazing, and all of the
derivatives are from plants.”
Emalange
has over 17 years of experience in the salon business, but it really started at
a much earlier age. She said that as a girl growing up she was always playing
with dolls, doing her own hair, and whenever she went out people were drawn
into her hair.
Emalange
said after she had her first child she was ready to settle down, and that’s
when she started ZORA’S Braids and More, her first salon which catered to
people with all types of hair.
“I
never went into the hair business to make money or a career, but it just
happened after seeing how it was needed here,” said Emalange.
Both
Frazier and Crabtree said they were going to Emalange’s salon before they were
working for her.
“I’m
excited to be working with new people and I want to be a part of it, I want to
learn and apply my talents and see people grow,” Frazier said. “I’ve been going
to Frida [Emalange] for a long time, and I really believe in what she is
doing.”
Emalange
is grateful for her success so far. “I’ve always done well here. Kids that I
used to work on are now graduating from college, this is my home”
