PALM COAST, Fla. – There are approximately 13 million women-owned businesses in the United States according to Forbes and in 2022, statistics show they were thriving.
Among those women-owned businesses who survived COVID to reach a milestone of her own is Palm Coast master stylist Rebecca Howell, owner of Atmosphere Salon. On Thursday she welcomed friends and clients to her City Marketplace salon to celebrate her 10-year anniversary.
Atmosphere Salon is not her first salon. The serial entrepreneur staked her claim in the industry at an early age.
“I was talking to my customers and told them I wanted to work in a place with a beautiful atmosphere, and that’s all it took. Within 3 days I had a loan for a business and four days after that I bought a property, and we started building. I was 19.” she said.
“I’ve owned four salons and they’ve all been ‘Atmosphere’. Atmosphere by Rebecca, then Atmosphere Downtown, then Atmosphere Re-Invented.”
She even owned a barbershop at the former Bruce Rossmeyer’s Harley Davidson Destination Daytona complex in Ormond for a year before deciding to stick to what she loved best – being a master hair stylist.
The difference between Howell’s salon and many other locations providing similar services is the difference between driving through for fast food and sitting down to a seven-course dinner experience.
Relationship building with a client begins from the moment an appointment is scheduled, and doesn’t end when a person walks out the door.
“Most salons don’t last two years. It’s our ability to work together and we treat it like a profession,” said Howell.
“There are people who cut hair and then there are hair stylists. We are hair stylists. We’re the full package. There are a lot of good hairdressers out there but there’s not a lot that have the full package – stay on time, price appropriately, they go the extra mile for you, they’re available, and they make sure they stay on top of their equipment. We build relationships with our clients. Most of my clients have been with me the whole 10 years.”
Howell was inspired to open her salon after experiencing the ultra-competitive and not-always-friendly behind the scenes world of beauty elsewhere. Now, she encourages all of her staff to work seamlessly together, ensuring every client feels cared for and supported in their journey to looking and feeling their best.
“The one thing that makes me different from any other salon is my staff is so caring to each other, first of all, and then to everyone. Everyone is our client. I really do like that. There’s no cattiness and everyone will go above for a client,” she said.
“It’s not about taking your money and getting you in and out. We really do care about our clients here.”
Trained in London and south Florida, stylist Ishmael brings a global perspective to the salon and has been with Howell at Atmosphere for five years. The rest of the talented Atmosphere team has been in-house for three years, furthering the salon’s reputation for on trend styles and a high quality experience.
“We pride ourselves on always doing something new and innovative,” said Howell.
Howell not only invests in her staff and clientele, the savvy businesswoman has invested in her business, as well. Purchasing her salon’s location just over a year ago, she’s excited about the expansion and opportunity to create more beauty in the space as City Marketplace roars back to life.
To schedule an appointment, visit www.atmospherereinvented.com.
What are the clients saying? Sally Jordan shares, “I had such bad luck in other places, so Heather Thompson told me about her so I gave her a try. I love her because she listens to what you say, she’s reasonable and she’s just great to talk to. She spends a lot of time with you in the beginning to talk about what you want to have done.”
