Hayes Valley has a new hair salon and clothing shop: Florette, which has taken over the space at 112 Gough St. (at Lily) formerly occupied by FLiP salon.
Founder Emily Baedeker, once a Hayes Valley resident, is no stranger to the neighborhood: she worked for eight years in the exact same space, as a stylist at previous tenant Mara's Salon.
She said always had the dream to make the salon her own one day, but eventually decided to move to Southern California instead. Upon her return to San Francisco, she worked out of Edo Salon in the Lower Haight.
Earlier this year, she looked into what it would take to get her first own commercial space, and realized the 1,100-square-foot Hayes Valley property was available.
"The space was always like an anchor to me," she said.
In addition to her history with the space, Baedeker says she chose it for its central location and proximity to BART and Muni stations. "Parking [in the area] is not great," she added.
She's updated the space with a fresh coat of paint and an '80s vibe. Those who walk might have already noticed two wooden planters outside, made by her father. Unfortunately, the flowers she planted in them were stolen overnight.
Baedeker, who's been cutting hair for 20 years, initially trained in Beverly Hills, under celebrity hair stylist Louis Licari. At Florette, she will work alongside three other stylists: Jordan Streetzel, Jillian Gnarling and Dionne Stevens.
All four will use hair dyes and styling products free of ammonia and artificial fragrances. Baedeker said that her goal is to share healthier hair products with everyone, not only those who "drink kale juice and practice yoga every day."
She's even created her own hair and body product, a shine serum that subs out silicone for broccoli seed oil as its key ingredient. The shop's name, Florette, is partially intended as a reference to broccoli florets.
Baedeker says that her business philosophy is to put kindness above all else: to the earth, to the people she works with, as well as to the neighborhood. She says she wants to create work-life balance for her stylists, and take urgency away as much as possible.
The mother of an eight-year-old boy, Baedeker said that one of her goals is to have a charity supporting single mothers attached to her product line.
Florette also offers a small assortment of beauty products, jewelry and vintage clothing, sourced from local thrift stores or the Treasure Island flea market.
The store's focus will be on local designers and women-owned businesses. Baedeker hopes to discover some new designers during the upcoming West Coast Craft fair.
The business also has a charitable component, hosting workshops on Friday nights that double as a platform for artists to raise funds for their preferred causes. For example, a recent gathering dedicated to lipstick and self-defense collected donations for Planned Parenthood.
Florette offers appointments Tuesday-Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.; it's closed Sundays. On Mondays, stylist Dionne Stevens works at the salon by appointment only. Appointments can be booked online.
