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Stylists, Clients Form Bonds At Salon

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By LAURA FRAZIER, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 6, 2008

Updated: 02/04/2008 04:56 pm

BRANDON - Octavia Stoppa compares her business, All About Beauty, to the fictional salon in a 1989 film where four girlfriends gather to gussie up and share their joys and heartaches.

"Our salon is like 'Steel Magnolias,' but with more flavor," Stoppa said. The shop recently moved across Mason Street from its original location, where it opened in 2001.

Like the salon in the movie, she said, "We are very down to earth, and you don't have to get all dressed up to come here. People come just to sit around and have a cup of coffee and talk."

Amid the giggles and gossip, bad news is sometimes bandied about.

"When they're sitting in the chair, people start talking. They tell you their problems," Stoppa said.

Clients commonly commiserate about beauty problems. Occasionally, the topic turns to friends or family members coping with hair loss and skin problems due to treatments for cancer or other medical issues.
Stoppa offers deep discounts on services for women undergoing medical treatment.

"I believe if you look good, you feel good, and I want to help them feel good," she said.

Joan Miller, a 74-year-old Brandon resident, said chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer left her with extremely thin eyebrows and eyelashes that grew back with little or no pigment.

She had her brows and lashes tinted at the salon in January. She raved about the results.

"Everybody is saying they can't believe how bright my eyes look," Miller said.

For cancer patients, Stoppa offers tinting, normally a $25 service, for $15. She also discounts hair extensions to $250, a service that normally costs up to $1,000.

"They might want extensions until their hair grows back in," she said. "It tends to grow back a totally different texture at first. Curly hair grows back straight, and straight comes in curly."

The salon owner said her multicultural staff is well-prepared to apply extensions or style hair for women of any ethnicity.

"We have a rainbow of people in our salon, both stylists and clientele," she said.

Stoppa, who is black, said her staff includes stylists who are white, Puerto Rican, black and American Indian.

In addition, she said, "At least 90 percent of our clientele is biracial, or they have biracial children."

She didn't set out to open an ethnic specialty salon, but she said she thinks it's wonderful, and so do her clients.

"We didn't plan it this way or send out fliers or anything, she said. "It's just what happened, and we love it."

ALL ABOUT BEAUTY

WHAT: Salon offering full hairstyling and nail-care services, facials, waxing, massages, teeth whitening, eyebrow and eyelash tinting, hair extensions, braids and weaving. Discounts are offered on select services for clients undergoing medical treatments.

WHERE: 102 Mason St., Brandon

HOURS: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, closed Mondays; after-hours appointments available

INFORMATION: (813) 661-7144

Reporter Laura Frazier can be reached at (813) 657-4523 or lfrazier@tampatrib.com.

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