After deciding to reduce her hours to two days a week, Jeanne Nietsche, longtime owner of the Hair Niche salon at 20 Church St. in Greenfield was looking for the perfect person to rent her space.
That’s exactly what she found when she met Christine Roth, a hairdresser with more than 25 years of experience in the industry. Within a few hours, she said the two became best friends.
“We hit it off perfectly, and she says to me, ‘You wouldn’t be interesting in selling?’ And I said, ‘Well, why not?’” Nietsche said. “After talking with Chris for about three hours, I decided that this is the girl that I would like to have the business because she’s very, very considerate of her clients, and she’s very good, but most important to me is that she makes them feel like they’re her family, and that’s how I always ran my business.”
Roth said it’s been her lifelong dream to own a salon, and is thrilled to take over the business. The Church Street neighborhood was a big draw, she said, because it’s so family-oriented.
“I think that’s what intrigued me the most,” she said.
One of Roth’s main goals for the new space is to cater to customers of all ages, and she said she regularly takes classes to stay on top of current trends.
“I’d love to get across-the-board ages in here,” she said. “Where I came from, I did a lot of foiling and ombres and that kind of stuff, so I’d really love to get more of that going here.”
Roth said the best part of the job is her clients, whom she said she looks forward to seeing as much as they look forward to getting their hair done.
Both women also agreed that keeping services affordable is a priority.
“For 32 years, I’ve kept my prices making a living — but not a killing — and Chris feels the same way, so I think it’s important to let people know that we’re here for them, not for the money,” Nietsche added. “I’m very elated that I found the right person to make this another good 32 years.”
Nietsche will continue to work at the salon on Thursdays and Fridays.