Work on the exterior of The Rhode, located at 6024 N. 7th Ave., was underway in April as True Few Hair Salon prepares for a May opening (photo by Kathryn M. Miller).
When the pandemic forced the closure of her business in early 2020, Laura Mittendorf’s True Few Hair Salon had only been open for four months, and like many small business owners, the 20-year industry veteran was facing an unprecedented challenge.
“It was kind of a shock and unexpected for everyone,” Mittendorf recalled, “but especially as a brand-new small business owner, it kind of kicks you into fight or flight mode.”
Spoiler alert: she chose “fight.”
“I’m big on mindset, staying positive. So, I just spent that month that we were off just focusing on, with the few limited months experience I had being on my own, what we needed to do. I went back in May by myself and just went full steam ahead.”
The business first opened Nov. 15, 2019, as a small studio on Central Avenue and Highland, with just three chairs, Mittendorf and one other stylist, and the fledgling business not only survived 2020, but it thrived. Something that Mittendorf, a Canadian transplant by way of New York City, attributes to the company’s commitment to customer service, team building and their efforts to create a cool community space.
Now, four years later, the company has grown exponentially, with five chairs and six stylists and they needed a building that could grow with them. So, when the opportunity to purchase a building on 7th Avenue just north of Bethany Home Road, Mittendorf jumped on it.
“We need more space with the team now,” she said, “and we want to grow a little bit, not too big, we want to keep it small and a little bit boutique, but still some room for growth in the new space.”
The new building, known as The Rhode, will not only house the commission-based salon but four other complementary businesses as well. True Few will continue to offer all hair services, including haircuts, custom colors, razor cuts, barber services, Brazilian blowouts and keratin treatments, among others. And falling in line with the company’s ethos of “community instead of competition,” four suites at the back of the building will house businesses that will be completely autonomous, but who are “like-minded individuals that want to grow together and still have that camaraderie and support.” Three suites are rented so far: Stranded Studios (hair extensions), The Tailored Brow, and musician Kimberly Weston (a client who told Mittendorf, “You guys create the best atmosphere and that’s where I want to be every day”).
At the salon, customers can expect a cool, approachable, luxury, rock’n’roll nostalgia vibe, “Kind of all my personal interests with a nod to the past while still being modern and wanting to move into the future,” Mittendorf said.
By pulling together her love of music, fashion, pop culture and most of all, her love of connecting with her clients, her goal has always been to offer an original salon experience, which was the origin of the business name.
“We’d rather be true and few than like everybody else,” she said, adding, “I don’t really have an ideal client. We are here for everyone, and we want everyone to feel welcome and supported — like they have found their salon home when they come in.”
The goal is to open True Few at 6024 N. 7th Ave. by the end of May. While the finishing touches on the 7th Avenue building are being completed, customers can still receive services at the Central Avenue location. Learn more at www.true-few.com.
