Mother and son Yolie Guartuche and Luis Anthony Serrato, co-owners of Salon Divine, which recently moved to a new location at 6646 S. Staples St. in Corpus Christi. Photo by Carrie Robertson Meyer/Third Coast Photo
Customer service and keeping up with the latest trends in hair treatments and styling are as much responsible for an uptick in business as a recent move to the Southside of Corpus Christi, said Salon Divine co-owner Luis Anthony Serrato. Salon Divine moved to 6646 S. Staples St. on Sept. 1.
“It’s a bigger location on a main street,” Serrato said. “The town is growing in that direction. There’s been a big difference in the walk-ins and call-ins. It’s almost tripled.”
Serrato owns the business with his mother, Yolie Guartuche, who has been styling hair for 26 years. With Serrato acting as business manager, they have owned and operated Salon Divine for about 10 years.
Serrato began helping as a business student at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.
“At the time, the business was doing well, but it was small,” he said. “She started out with four hairstylists. I took it upon myself to help our her business, and I got more hands-on when I graduated.”
The salon, which used to do nails, now has 13 stylists and concentrates solely on quality hair products and services.
“We wanted hair to be our focus — to be the best in the industry here in town,” Serrato said. “We’ve had a lot of great reviews. Our stylists are good. We’re very proud to say that.”
As part of his marketing plan, Serrato added social media, branding and a professional, modern look and feel to all the salon’s advertising. He also came up with a slogan that has defined the business: “No occasion is too small for great hair.” The slogan, he said, defines their quest to stay up with the latest trends and provide the best, most professional service.
“We go to continuing education classes that happen throughout the year,” he said. “We keep up with what other stylists and salons are doing. We keep track of what the celebrities are doing and what’s catching on.”
One such trend is balayage highlighting, a French coloring technique that looks more natural than traditional foil-and-color highlighting. The hand-brushed technique prevents root lines as the hair grows out.
Knowing what the client wants and having trained professionals who love what they do is the secret to great hair, Serrato said.
“Our stylists love to provide the luxury service that helps someone look their very best,” he said. “We teach our clients how to maintain their hair style. When you need to look your best, we can definitely help you with that.”
Salon Divine is located at 6646 S. Staples St., Suite 132. For more information or to make an appointment, call (361) 980-8800.
