In early 2014, Dominik Gorgis was on the hunt for a location where his wife could offer her hair styling services close to home. “Susan was working at her older sister’s salon in Port Coquitlam for around 13 years, but when we got married, we moved to Langley, and because it was such a long commute, we decided to open up our own salon here,” he explains.
“There was this corner salon listed on Craigslist, so I came to see it,” recalls Dominik. “It was in an older building, but they had an excellent location. But when I stepped inside, I nearly turned right around. It was a disaster – very run down and some of the stuff in there had to have been from the 60s or 70s.”
Overcoming his initial shock, Dominik saw the potential in the space and ended up negotiating a price on the spot. “We shut it down for a month to renovate, and every day I would leave my own business and would come here to work, many times until 4am,” he says. “I made it to all the latest specs – custom cabinets, huge chandeliers, brand new flooring. The place has really lit up.”
At the grand opening of Skye Hair Salon in May 2014, neighbourhood business owners were given a first look at the new modern space. “Everyone was shocked how I managed to do a complete transformation within a month,” says Dominik. “The previous owners came in and they looked as though they wanted to buy it back!”