Building a Beauty Empire
Small town values and hard work have been the basis of one Princeville woman’s success in building a local beauty empire.
Raylene Resler’s entire academic career was spent in Princeville schools, where she graduated high school at 17. Resler greatly values the experience of going to a small town school, an experience she also wants for her own daughter.
“I would only want my daughter to attend a small town school,” Resler said. “There may not be a lot of the same activities as a larger school, for instance swim teams, etc., but I would not want my daughter, who is 16 and a junior in high school, to go anywhere else.”
The values she learned through living in a small town have really had an impact on Resler in both her personal and professional life.
“I have now and have always had high family values,” Resler said. “I think living in a small town instills high friendships and good family relationships. In a small town, everyone is like your family. Don’t get me wrong, we’re not perfect; I’m just saying if an individual needs your help, the whole community will do what they can to help.”
Resler then attended Oehrleins School of Cosmetology, graduating in nine months. Cosmetology was something that Resler had always had an interest in pursuing.
“I knew from a very early age that I wanted to do hair,” Resler said. “I used to go with my mom to Pat Smith’s house where she had her salon. She was the only stylist at the time since it was in her home. I would watch her do everyone’s hair and knew this is what I wanted to be. Not to mention, Pat was a great influence on me also. She was always so happy and it showed that she loved her job and her customers. I wanted to be that very person.”
She opened her first salon in a very small two-room unit office in the outskirts of Princeville where she stayed for approximately five years before buying her first house and moving the business into her basement. After Resler’s daughter was born, she purchased a building in Princeville. Six months later, she opened a second salon in Peoria at Willow Knolls, where she remained for 16 years. The most recent move has been taking the Peoria salon from Willow Knolls to Rt. 91 next to Furniture Row and the Shoppes at Grand Prairie.
“This is an investment for my family’s future,” Resler said. “I love our location and love the design on the inside.”
Yet Resler has encountered a few bumps in the process of expanding her business.
“Some of the challenges of expanding have been getting things like permits in order and the approval by the city to give the go-ahead for the 1,200 square feet I have yet to finish,” Resler said. “Another challenge was being scared to be told no or taken advantage of because of not really knowing what I was doing.”
All of the challenges have proved rewarding for Resler, as she receives some of her greatest joys knowing that she owns her own business and the buildings in which they are located.
“When it comes to being a salon owner over several employees, this is a job,” Resler said. “You have so many personalities to deal with. There are many times I have wanted to give up, go somewhere else and rent a chair, you can’t imagine. Somehow I can’t make myself do that.”
Raylene’s Total Salon Concepts offers a variety of services for the whole family. Prices are relatively inexpensive, with men’s hair cuts being $15 and women’s cuts starting at $18, and special pricing for children. Highlights and perms range from $40 for partial services with full services ranging from $62 and up, depending on the length and thickness of the hair. They also offer full massage and spa services.
One of their more unique services is the Face Sculpting Machine which was invented by NASA. Celebrities such as Brad Pitt and Kelly Ripa receive this treatment, while Oprah has featured it on her show numerous times.
“The machine supplies forms of electric current to the muscles of your face and contracts them as if they were working out,” Resler said. “After 10 relaxing, 45-minute sessions, your face and neck will look as if you had a facelift. In some cases, you may need more than 10 sessions. The earlier in life you start with your face sculpting, the less you will need before you begin your maintenance, which is only one session once a month.”
The salon also offers a service called ear candling. “This service removes the wax from your ears by a very relaxing procedure which takes about 10 minutes each ear,” Resler said. “This service is good if you have sinus headaches, migraines, pressure of the face and hearing loss.”
Resler employees 16 stylists, two estheticians, two nail technicians and four receptionists. The salon currently has one massage therapist, but Resler would like to employ one more. Sandy White manages along with Resler. Resler’s mother has also helped with the business since it expanded to Peoria, currently managing the bookkeeping and any other area in which she can assist.
“I just want to say I personally can’t take all of the credit,” Resler said. “Without my employees, I would be nothing. I may have had the vision, but they did the work. I hope I can say I was there to support them.”
Through her experience, Resler has learned how to separate her business and personal lives with her employees.
“Over the years of being a salon owner, I learned many things,” Resler said. “First and foremost, you are the owner, not the friend. That is very hard. You have to be the boss at all times. Even if your employees don’t agree with you, the bottom line is you have to do whatever it takes to keep your business running—no matter what it takes.”
Raylene’s received the Who’s Who in Business Award for 2006 and has been voted #1 salon for the past seven years in the Peoria Journal Star’s Readers’ Choice Awards.
“I feel that what sets my salon apart from others is that I have great integrity for all of my customers,” Resler said. “I want you to be extremely happy when you come for a visit and we all want you to leave looking and feeling great. I have been in business for 27 years now and plan on being in business for many years yet to come. My customers and all of my employees’ customers are very important to me.”
Raylene’s Total Salon Concepts is located at 7620 N. State Rt. 91 in Peoria and 110 East Main in Princeville. For more information or to make an appointment, contact the Peoria salon at 692-7700, or if you’re in the Princeville area, call the salon at 385-2620. tpw
Raylene Resler’s entire academic career was spent in Princeville schools, where she graduated high school at 17. Resler greatly values the experience of going to a small town school, an experience she also wants for her own daughter.
“I would only want my daughter to attend a small town school,” Resler said. “There may not be a lot of the same activities as a larger school, for instance swim teams, etc., but I would not want my daughter, who is 16 and a junior in high school, to go anywhere else.”
The values she learned through living in a small town have really had an impact on Resler in both her personal and professional life.
“I have now and have always had high family values,” Resler said. “I think living in a small town instills high friendships and good family relationships. In a small town, everyone is like your family. Don’t get me wrong, we’re not perfect; I’m just saying if an individual needs your help, the whole community will do what they can to help.”
Resler then attended Oehrleins School of Cosmetology, graduating in nine months. Cosmetology was something that Resler had always had an interest in pursuing.
“I knew from a very early age that I wanted to do hair,” Resler said. “I used to go with my mom to Pat Smith’s house where she had her salon. She was the only stylist at the time since it was in her home. I would watch her do everyone’s hair and knew this is what I wanted to be. Not to mention, Pat was a great influence on me also. She was always so happy and it showed that she loved her job and her customers. I wanted to be that very person.”
She opened her first salon in a very small two-room unit office in the outskirts of Princeville where she stayed for approximately five years before buying her first house and moving the business into her basement. After Resler’s daughter was born, she purchased a building in Princeville. Six months later, she opened a second salon in Peoria at Willow Knolls, where she remained for 16 years. The most recent move has been taking the Peoria salon from Willow Knolls to Rt. 91 next to Furniture Row and the Shoppes at Grand Prairie.
“This is an investment for my family’s future,” Resler said. “I love our location and love the design on the inside.”
Yet Resler has encountered a few bumps in the process of expanding her business.
“Some of the challenges of expanding have been getting things like permits in order and the approval by the city to give the go-ahead for the 1,200 square feet I have yet to finish,” Resler said. “Another challenge was being scared to be told no or taken advantage of because of not really knowing what I was doing.”
All of the challenges have proved rewarding for Resler, as she receives some of her greatest joys knowing that she owns her own business and the buildings in which they are located.
“When it comes to being a salon owner over several employees, this is a job,” Resler said. “You have so many personalities to deal with. There are many times I have wanted to give up, go somewhere else and rent a chair, you can’t imagine. Somehow I can’t make myself do that.”
Raylene’s Total Salon Concepts offers a variety of services for the whole family. Prices are relatively inexpensive, with men’s hair cuts being $15 and women’s cuts starting at $18, and special pricing for children. Highlights and perms range from $40 for partial services with full services ranging from $62 and up, depending on the length and thickness of the hair. They also offer full massage and spa services.
One of their more unique services is the Face Sculpting Machine which was invented by NASA. Celebrities such as Brad Pitt and Kelly Ripa receive this treatment, while Oprah has featured it on her show numerous times.
“The machine supplies forms of electric current to the muscles of your face and contracts them as if they were working out,” Resler said. “After 10 relaxing, 45-minute sessions, your face and neck will look as if you had a facelift. In some cases, you may need more than 10 sessions. The earlier in life you start with your face sculpting, the less you will need before you begin your maintenance, which is only one session once a month.”
The salon also offers a service called ear candling. “This service removes the wax from your ears by a very relaxing procedure which takes about 10 minutes each ear,” Resler said. “This service is good if you have sinus headaches, migraines, pressure of the face and hearing loss.”
Resler employees 16 stylists, two estheticians, two nail technicians and four receptionists. The salon currently has one massage therapist, but Resler would like to employ one more. Sandy White manages along with Resler. Resler’s mother has also helped with the business since it expanded to Peoria, currently managing the bookkeeping and any other area in which she can assist.
“I just want to say I personally can’t take all of the credit,” Resler said. “Without my employees, I would be nothing. I may have had the vision, but they did the work. I hope I can say I was there to support them.”
Through her experience, Resler has learned how to separate her business and personal lives with her employees.
“Over the years of being a salon owner, I learned many things,” Resler said. “First and foremost, you are the owner, not the friend. That is very hard. You have to be the boss at all times. Even if your employees don’t agree with you, the bottom line is you have to do whatever it takes to keep your business running—no matter what it takes.”
Raylene’s received the Who’s Who in Business Award for 2006 and has been voted #1 salon for the past seven years in the Peoria Journal Star’s Readers’ Choice Awards.
“I feel that what sets my salon apart from others is that I have great integrity for all of my customers,” Resler said. “I want you to be extremely happy when you come for a visit and we all want you to leave looking and feeling great. I have been in business for 27 years now and plan on being in business for many years yet to come. My customers and all of my employees’ customers are very important to me.”
Raylene’s Total Salon Concepts is located at 7620 N. State Rt. 91 in Peoria and 110 East Main in Princeville. For more information or to make an appointment, contact the Peoria salon at 692-7700, or if you’re in the Princeville area, call the salon at 385-2620. tpw