By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
MACHESNEY PARK — It may seem counterintuitive for a salon, but A&M Essentially You Inc. wants its customers to ignore typical standards of beauty.
Instead, owners Melissa Birmingham and Angelique Thomas invite their customers to “be your own kind of beautiful” and find whatever style feels right for you.
“You look at Instagram and it feels like, ‘If I don’t look like that then I must not fit in or be beautiful,'” Thomas said. “I think everybody is beautiful in their own right and has their own style and their own uniqueness about themselves.”
The new salon opened Sept. 8 at 7916 Scott Lane and celebrated its ribbon-cutting this week.
“Whether that beautiful for you is made-up glam or a mom bun in your active wear, I don’t care how that looks for you as long as you’re comfortable in your own skin and we help you promote that,” Thomas said.
A&M Essentially You Inc. does cuts, styling and color treatment for women, men and children. Thomas has haircolor certification through Redken. Birmingham specializes in eyelashes and is certified in Cryoskin, a cold-temperature treatment for body slimming and contouring. Cryoskin treatment will be offered starting in October.
“If you’re working out, you’re eating healthy, but you have those stubborn areas you can’t get rid of — as much as you try — it will go in there and basically melt it,” Birmingham said. “If you can pinch an inch, this is a good thing to have.”
A&M also sells essential oils and will offer classes starting in January.
The salon is located in a former barbershop off Harlem Road. The village helped Thomas and Birmingham find an affordable location, and then they worked with NRH Building and Remodeling to remodel the space.
“We took it down to the studs. We had to rip everything out and start all over,” Thomas said of the thousands of dollars they invested in renovations. “We went from concept to open in three months.”
A&M is hiring three full-time stylists and has a room to rent for a practitioner of health and wellness services such as massage and facial.
“I want to be a community-based salon where people come in and chat and feel comfortable and included and feel great about themselves when they leave,” Thomas said.
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About | A&M Essentially You
Owners: Melissa Birmingham and Angelique Thomas
Location: 7916 Scott Lane, Machesney Park
Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
On the web: Visit the website; Social media and more
Phone: 779-210-7055
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Instagram at @thekevinhaas or Twitter at @KevinMHaas.