The Wellington Chamber of Commerce recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Tresses Color Bar Salon, located at 13873 Wellington Trace.
Brianne Purnell is the resident expert in hair cutting, coloring, extensions and styling. She operates her salon like those found in New York City, Boston or Los Angeles with “mixologists” creating hair color at a festive color bar for all to see.
Purnell was born in Reading, Pa., and moved to Wellington at a young age. Her grandfather lived and played polo in Wellington, so moving here was an easy step for the family. She graduated from Wellington High School.
After high school, Purnell attended Palm Beach Community College and earned an associate’s degree before studying cosmetology at New England Tech. For eight years, she worked at a spa/salon in Wellington doing coloring, cutting, extending and styling. During that time, she continued her education by attending courses in different cities and earned a degree from Redkin. She then attended many programs to become an educator for L’Oreal. At L’Oreal, Purnell learned all types of styling including avant-garde runway type styles. Eventually, she began to teach classes at the Soho Academy in N.Y., which required her to travel every two weeks for L’Oreal.
While working with other Wellington area salons, Purnell kept thinking about her trips to New York and the vibe that the hair salons had up there. Since there were no similar type shops here, she decided to open her own shop with that Soho NY feel. She launched her new business last August.
“That’s why I created the color bar — mainly because it’s just totally different,” Purnell said. “Ours is more of a laid-back atmosphere. You can see everything that’s going on. We ‘mixologists’ showcase the mixing and the making of color. Usually it’s all hidden in a back room and you can’t see anything. Seeing us mixing kind of brings the client into our world. I am a Great Lengths certified stylist, and I do cold fusion, which is a new method of bonding. It uses ultrasonic vibration waves to extend hair so you don’t actually have to use heat. It’s much better for the hair. The hair actually stays in longer.”
Tresses Color Bar Salon helps in the community. They work with JustWorld International to raise money by providing hair styling for fashion shows.
For more information about Tresses Color Bar Salon, call (561) 290-2457.
For more information about businesses in the Wellington area, call (561) 792-6525 or visit the Wellington Chamber of Commerce web site at www.wellingtonchamber.com.
ABOVE: Chamber ambassadors Carmine Marino, Mark “Boz” Bozicevic, Denise Carpenter and Joanne Dee with owner Brianne Purnell (center with the scissors) and Tresses staff.
