Women-owned Nova Salon includes seasoned stylists

IOWA CITY - The word 'nova” is the feminine singular form of the Latin adjective 'novus,” meaning new, fresh, young or unusual and extraordinary.

These definitions seem appropriate for Nova Salon, a new hair studio being opened Dec. 27 in Iowa City by three women who are longtime stylists and friends.

The opportunity to open a new salon arose in September when Mike Tschantz, who has owned the Michael Tschantz Salon in Iowa City since 1989, decided to close the business in exchange for a solo practice.

'Since I started this job 13 years ago, I've wanted to have my own salon,” said stylist Katie Donahue, 33, of Iowa City. 'When we were told we have 12 weeks to do it, it seemed like an impossible task.”

Iowa lags behind other states for women-owned businesses, ranking 49th in the nation with 73,000 such firms in 2015, according to a report from American Express OPEN, based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau's business census.

Employment at women-owned businesses in Iowa fell 26 percent from 71,724 individuals in 1997 to 52,800 in 2015.

Donahue and co-owners Lindsy Tadlock and Stephanie Kissinger were encouraged by friends and family to take the leap.

Donahue's parents, Ann and Steve Donahue, have owned Iowa City businesses in the past, and Tadlock's husband, Devin Tadlock, started Tadlock Bros. Metal Polishing with his brother two years ago.

'They offered us advice about a business plan,” Katie Donahue said of her parents. 'They were entirely supportive about the short timeline.”

The Nova co-owners scrambled to find financing and secure a location close to downtown Iowa City. Kennedy Construction, of Iowa City, met the tight schedule, while the owners and employees helped with painting, installing furniture and other projects.

Karen Whitaker and Molly Quast - both stylists - as well as Josh Weikert also will be moving from Michael Tschantz to Nova.

Nova, at 1210 S. South Gilbert St., is 1,500 square feet, smaller than Tschantz's 2,300 square feet, and will have three fewer stylists. They plan to hire one additional stylist in early 2017.

Owning a salon where your friends work is different from being co-workers, said Tadlock, 41, who had been at Michael Tschantz for five years.

'Being a boss, that's going to be the hardest thing for me,” she said. 'We're going to try to be equals. I'll be folding towels next to Josh and ripping foils. We want to keep this a cooperative environment.”

The salon has already booked many appointments into 2017.

'We've had very positive feedback from our clientele,” Tadlock said. 'They are so happy for our entrepreneurship and courage to do this.”