Growing iStudio Salons Franchise Looks to Alabama

The iStudio Salons model is designed to help salon professionals realize their dreams of having their own great space, and the brand is now looking to make inroads in Birmingham, Alabama.

Entrepreneurial-minded cousins James Schregardus, 34, and Mark Abbett, 42, have created a franchise built on scale and flexibility within an upscale environment. iStudio Salons was created as a business targeting the salon professional who wants to have artistic freedom, scheduling flexibility and financial security. It is also designed to provide franchise owners with the independence and professional focus they want and need, while building a streamlined and relatively easy to manage real estate-based business.

By practicing their craft inside their own private iStudio, salon professionals separate themselves from the competition. iStudio also assists with building the stylist’s book through several affordable marketing options aimed at procuring new clients and walk-in traffic.

The iStudio Salons concept features a chic, state-of-the-art salon environment with upscale amenities for professionals and clients. Since its founding, iStudio Salons has grown to a nine-unit start-up that is expanding throughout the United States, with plans to double in size over the next 24 months.

The Birmingham area provides iStudio Salons with tremendous growth potential and the kind of clientele who appreciate quality salon services. The state’s proximity to Florida, home to eight iStudio locations, also makes Alabama an ideal choice for the brand’s next targeted expansion.

“We are excited to take our business to the next level and to allow stylists to have their own business and own space,” Schregardus said. “Birmingham offers great growth prospects for us.”

Birmingham ranks as one of the most important business and banking centers in the Southeast. Affectionately known as The Magic City, it is the cultural and entertainment capital of Alabama, and features numerous art galleries in the area. With more than 3,000 new jobs and $370 million in new capital investment announced in 2014, the Birmingham region is realizing its potential as a powerhouse in Alabama and the Southeast, the Birmingham Business Alliance recently reported. Boasting an excellent transportation infrastructure and low cost of living, the economic development climate in Birmingham has been the focus of an increasing amount of national attention.

The population of the Birmingham-Hoover metro area increased by more than 4,100 people to more than 1.14 million residents from 2013 to 2014, according to U.S. Census data. The rate is in keeping with the steady 1.4 percent growth the area has experienced since 2010, when the population was less than 1.13 million.

“We have seen a rapidly growing interest in our unique business model and we’re excited to bring it to Alabama,” Schregardus said. “We know Birmingham will be a healthy source of great franchisees.”