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Touch Of Class Salon and Spa
10/1/2009
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No economic development story smells sweeter of success than when a local returns home to make a life and invest in their future, for themselves and their community.
When Wishek native Melisa Rudolf graduated from high school in 2000 she left, as many young people do, to get an education and some life experience. As a hair stylist, she got that experience in Bismarck salons, but after five years got the itch to return to Wishek to raise her son and be closer to family. She took a job at a Wishek hair salon, but after a year realized she wanted to do more with her life. She wanted to own her own business.
"I figured it was time to try and make that possible," she said. She contacted the local Job Development Authority office and took a look at vacant commercial space in Wishek’s downtown area in which she saw great potential. The JDA owned the 6,000 sq. ft. building, part of which was partitioned off as office space. "I instantly started dreaming and wanted to make that dream come true," Melisa said.
Getting the salon started involved a lot of paperwork and hard labor for Rudolf. The JDA helped her write a business plan to present to lenders and assisted her in getting financing from four sources that allowed her to buy equipment and remodel the building. "Getting the business plan help was great because it helped us all see that I could make a go of it and set goals for the salon," she explained.
She got a key to the rented office space on Aug. 1, 2007, and a mere 19 days later opened the doors to Touch of Class Salon and Spa, her newly remodeled business that featured three styling stations, a tanning booth, pedicure/manicure area and waiting room. "It was amazing that we all made it happen so quickly, but with help from family and friends, we did it," Melisa said.
But that’s not the end of Melisa’s story. In early 2009, Melisa began dreaming again, this time about how she could use the rest of the huge building. She believed a fitness center would be a nice complement to her business, plus fill a need in this southcentral community of about 950.
With the financial backing of her father, the Rudolfs made an acceptable offer to the Wishek JDA to buy the building, and the family dug in quickly to renovate the remaining 5,000 square feet of space. They decided to build two office spaces near the front entrance of the building to be rented as additional income (one of which rented immediately), built dressing rooms for fitness center members, painted, carpeted, replaced the heating and cooling systems and turned the building into a first-class fitness center. Several quality exercise machines fill the space, a big screen TV sits in a corner to help members pass time while working out, and members can gain entry to the facility 20 hours a day by using key cards.
"It was so exciting watching it all come together," Melisa said. "We opened the gym Aug. 24 and have already gained 32 members. I think that’s a great number!"
"I never thought that at 27 I would own two businesses, but thanks to the help I got from my parents, my wonderful boyfriend, friends and the Wishek JDA, I made it happen," she said.
Wishek JDA coordinator Tom Lovik points to Melisa’s accomplishments as local economic development at its best. "The building space had been sitting empty for some time," he said. "Melisa’s dreams fit inside that building perfectly. We were able to use local and regional E.D. loan funds to help get her started. She called in family and friends to help, and put in an incredible personal effort to make her dream come true. Our downtown has another full building and the community has a new resource. It couldn’t have worked out better."
Rudolf is excited to share her experience with other entrepreneurs who may be considering a similar business venture. She can be reached at Touch Of Class Salon and Spa, 701-452-7895.
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Melisa Rudolf |
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701-452-7895 |
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