Willow Glen Resident
Business
Photograph by Vicki Thompson
Cut and Style: DiModa is a new hair salon that opened in Willow Glen next to the Goosetown Lounge. Owner Amber Lopez, 23, said Lincoln Avenue was exactly the kind of location she was looking for.
It all about style and service at DiModa, a new hair salon
By Mayra Flores De Marcotte
There's new hair salon in downtown Willow Glen. DiModa aims to bring a little bit of mod and a lot of personal touch. In fact the name translates to "in style."
The new salon is tucked into the gray building next to Goosetown Lounge, quietly blending into the background. Inside, the atmosphere is anything but quiet.
The oversized ceiling tiles that look like lighted bubble wrap cast a bright glow. A soothing avocado is used sparingly on the walls, and modern furniture gives the room a polished feel. The salon also displays artwork from local artists, which will change every quarter.
Customers are greeted with a smile and offered their choice of Pellegrino, coffee, red or white wine and free Wi-Fi access while they wait their turn.
"I hope we are bringing something different to the neighborhood," says owner Amber Lopez.
Along with atmosphere, all products used by the stylists are organic and natural to promote healthy scalps and grow healthy hair, Lopez says.
"Things here are really luxurious," Lopez says. "Everybody that walks in gets a scalp massage along with their other services."
The salon is 23-year-old Lopez's first business venture. Her partner and mother Krista Lopez takes care of the business side, while she focuses on the client services.
"My family is a huge support," she says.
Once Lopez decided to open up her own salon, the process moved rapidly. She chose the location in December, signed the lease in January and opened in March.
"I always wanted to do hair," Lopez says. "I can't remember ever not wanting to do hair."
In her youth, Lopez would go to summer camp and cut the other children's hair.
"I would get in trouble because I wasn't good, but I loved doing it," she says."
The love of others' hair never dulled and during high school, she did her friends' hair for school dances. It was during high school that she met her mentor, hairdresser Shari De Bow, who pushed Lopez to enroll in beauty school.
Lopez attended beauty school while still in high school. She graduated from both schools in the same year.
After high school, the 18-year-old continued her career path in her hometown of Napa. There, she would do hair and makeup for weddings.
"I was ready for bigger and better things," she says.
She moved to San Jose and trained under Dustin David at Portfolio Salon and then moved on to LoCastro in Los Gatos.
Before opening her own salon, Lopez said she needed to experience working as a shop employee and renting a stylist station to strengthen her understanding about managing clients and finances.
When she began shopping around for a location, Willow Glen was the natural choice.
"I wanted the community feel," she says. "I wanted to be in an area where I could walk and get a cup of coffee, shop and get fresh air. I was drawn to the energy to the neighborhood."
DiModa Salon, 1060 Lincoln Ave., is open Tuesdays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. To contact the salon, call 408.277.0400.
