MARENGO — When Tracy Andes found herself losing salon space in Amana, she captured an unexpected treasure in her own backyard.
“I had my salon spot in Amana,” said the owner of Renew Salon and Spa. “I was there for 15 years.”
Andes had a suite in a bed-and-breakfast, and when the owner put the building up for sale, Andes, a Marengo resident, looked closer to home.
Andes asked the city if she could build an addition to her home and run a business out of it. The city suggested Andes talk to Corienne Dally at Marengo Community Development.
Her job, said Dally, is to connect owners of empty buildings with people who need space. One of the spaces she showed Andes was at 1061 Court Ave., where Renew Salon opened Oct. 2.
Andes had looked at a couple of other places, but this one was the right fit. “It had so much space I could add more services,” Andes said. She has room to add staff as well.
Renew Salon offers hair styling, manicures, pedicures, eyelashes, waxing and massages. Andes has been a massage therapist for 23 years, receiving her training at Carlson College in Stone City.
Andes was studying nursing when a class in massage made her realize that massage was a better fit for her. She’d always been into alternative medicine and treatments such as aroma therapy, she said.
“I’ve got clients already here,” said Andes before a ribbon-cutting and open house last month. Clients from Williamsburg and clients who used her services in Amana drive to Marengo to see her. “It’s a nice central location,” Andes said.
“I’ve got clients from Cedar Rapids,” said Andes’ daughter and business partner, Zoe Andes.
Zoe has watched her mother style hair her entire life, she said. She was in eighth grade when she decided she wanted to be a cosmetologist like her mom. She attended Capri College in Cedar Rapids and still has friends and family — and clients — there.
“It’s always been my dream to work with my mom,” said Zoe. “She’s my best friend.’
Zoe recently moved to South Amana and was driving to Palo to work. She wasn’t seeing much of her mother.
Now the women work out of the same building. “It’s nice. We see each other a lot more,” said Zoe. And Marengo is a much shorter drive.
Having previously housed a doctor’s office, Iowa County Public Health and an attorney, the Court Avenue building sat empty for a couple of years before Andes bought it, said Dally.
“She saw her vision as soon as she walked in,” said Dally.
“I liked that it was a doctor’s office,” said Andes because it already had plumbing for sinks that she would need for hair styling.
Andes spent three months remodeling the space. She worked at her salon in Amana and spent her nights — sometimes until 2 a.m. — working on the Court Avenue building.
“It’s just nice to have people come and see the potential and give things new life,” said Dally.
Renew Salon is open Monday through Saturday with flexible hours from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.