American Honey Hair Co., a new locally owned hair salon, is now open in a long-vacant Mission storefront.
Located at 6630 Martway Street, the hair salon has taken over a space on the south side of a strip mall that also includes a Dollar Tree and a Planet Fitness.
It’s the first tenant in that space since a dry cleaners closed in 2008.
American Honey co-owners are both named Sadie
- Co-owners Sadie Rucker and Sadie Gourley chose this location, in part, because they met as stylists at a different Mission salon and their clients know the area.
- Rucker said Mission is easily accessible for American Honey clients, who travel from everywhere across the Kansas City metro for services.
- “It’s located off Shawnee Mission Parkway and Metcalf, and to me, [Gourley] and our clients, it does feel like the melting pot of the metro,” Rucker said.
The salon reflects owners’ rural roots
- Both Gourley and Rucker are Kansas natives who grew up on farms surrounded by horses and ranchers, Gourley said.
- Gourley said she and Rucker wanted to create a space that stood out from other salons in the area with personal touches and an inviting atmosphere.
- That includes a wall of cowboy hats once worn by the their fathers, grandfathers and uncles.
- “You don’t feel like you have to wear a certain outfit or have your makeup done to come in here, but you still feel like you’re getting a luxury experience at the same time,” Gourley said.
American Honey aims to be a stylist education hub
- Both owners are passionate about teaching other stylists and furthering their own skills.
- Gourley said the hair world changes annually from trends to techniques, and education is the only way to keep up.
- American Honey intends to host at least four education classes a year, inviting in a mix of local and national stylists to share their expertise.
- There are already three upcoming classes at the salon, including one on April 24 for a hands-on extensions class with Orange County-based stylist Makayla Grogger.
Passersby may notice a brand new mural, too
- The Mission Planning Commission last week also approved a mural on the exterior of American Honey’s strip mall space that depicts a person riding a horse through a desert landscape.
- Rucker told the planning commission that she thinks the design — which artist Whitney Kerr said will last 25 years — is classic and subtle.
- “We’re not like 100% cowboy in [American Honey], but we really like this one,” Rucker told the planning commission. “I like that it’s like a classic vintage kind of photo, I don’t think it’ll get dated too soon.”
The salon’s grand opening is later this month
- American Honey is hosting its official grand opening from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 22.
- Vendors like Chamoy Boi, a sweet and spicy candy food truck, a custom cocktail bartender and a permanent jewelry vendor are all going to be in attendance.
- There is also a ribbon cutting planned for 4 p.m. on April 11, the pair said.
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