‘We had a good run’: Belleville salon closes after 37 years as owners start new chapter
On Dec. 23, Salon Whimz closed its doors at 3030 Frank Scott Parkway West after 37 years in business.
The closing wasn’t sudden.
Owners Amy Bommarito and Alletha Reiss made an announcement on the Salon Whimz Facebook page in November that they would soon “be headed in a new direction,” part of which was to close the popular salon and retire its name.
Not many businesses last that long with the same owners since day one, said Bommarito.
They never envisioned an end for the business, said Reiss. Back then they didn’t think about what happened after 30.
“Thirty was old,” she said.
The closing was paired with some convenient timing. Their lease was about to expire and the rent was going up. With families and the rest of their lives continuing on, they asked themselves the simple question: “Do we need one more thing on our plate?”
Bommarito and Reiss decided no, they did not.
When they started telling their clients about the coming changes, many of them said it was the “end of an era,” Reiss said.
They aren’t sad. If anything, they feel proud. They built a business that thrived and left it on their own terms.
Over the years, Reiss and Bommarito kept up to snuff on their trade by attending and participating in trade shows and conventions and sharing what they learned with their stylists.
“Amy and I have always enjoyed travel for education,” said Reiss, adding that when you’re a hairdresser, people don’t expect to hear you went on a business trip.
They brought education into the salon and pride themselves on the fact that they offered so much in salon education, hours of which are needed for license renewals.
“We did not have anyone do that for us,” said Reiss.
Younger generations are getting info online. Conventions are expensive, said Bommamrito.
Most of all, Bommarito and Reiss are proud to have worked with other talented stylists over the years, many of whom went on to work at other salons or to open their own.
They’re glad to have been part of their successes.
“We’re all still going,” said Bommarito.
Salon Whimz serviced four generations of clients. Bommarito and Reiss wanted to feel like the whole family could come to the salon. That’s the reputation they wanted and one they earned.
They worked six days a week since they were 22 years old, according to Bommarito.
“We had a good run,” she said.
“We did great,” said Reiss. “I don’t know where that time went.”
Life after Whimz
Although the sun has set on Salon Whimz, Bommarito, Reiss and other stylists in residence rent space from Barb Alexander, a former Whimz stylist who opened Strands31 at 15 S. High St. in downtown Belleville.
In the years since opening the salon, both women were married and raised families.
“At 22, we didn’t have kids,” or even “The One,” said Bommarito, whose daughter recently got engaged.
Reiss said now she has more time to work with Ehtar Belleville FC, a semi-professional soccer club established in 2022. She’s been the secretary on the executive board the last two years.
The soccer team is important and good for the community, according to Reiss.
“That brings me a lot of joy,” she said.
Reiss also teaches a regular religion class at St. Henry Catholic Church.
“The busier I am the happier I am,” said Reiss.
Since closing Whimz, they felt overwhelmed with moving out of 3030 Frank Scott Parkway West and winding down the business.
Their lease ended Dec. 31, and they started at Strands31 on Jan. 3, while they wound down all Salon Whimz operations.
As independent stylists, they are technically their own bosses, but work is much calmer since Salon Whimz closed its doors.
Reiss said her dad told her, “I think you are more relaxed now that you and Amy let that go.”
They no longer worry about getting late-night calls about break-ins – there was more than one at their previous location – or stylists calling in sick, Bommarito said.
“That I don’t miss,” agreed Reiss.
Things are going well at Strands31. Bommarito and Reiss spent the first month getting their bearings and are still getting to know downtown Belleville.
After “growing up as a west-end kid,” Reiss said she’s learning to navigate downtown, but enjoying it.
Bommarito, who is originally from the east side of town, lives on the west end. “I still feel at home” on the east side, she said.
About Salon Whimz
On March 1, 1988, two young hair stylists, Amy Davy, 22, and Alletha Moyer, 23, opened their Whimz Hair Studio at 3620-A North Belt West in Belleville.
Prior to opening, they worked together at another salon and dreamed about opening their own place. After talking to a banker about their options for a loan, according to a March 2008 BND article, word got back to their employer.
They were both fired.
Soon after, they ended up renting a space on North Belt West and opening a four-chair salon.
“Our grandmas backed us. They put up the money,” Bommarito said in 2008.
Today, she recalls that they had no fear when they were young.
And they had “great guidance,” said Reiss.
They were raised to be money conscious and responsible with money, she said. Their bank took good care of them.
The name, Whimz, as in “on a whim” came from a heading in a trade publication that read, “Trends, fads, whims.”
People change their minds on a whim. The “Z” was added for edgy effect.
“It was the ‘80’s,” said Bommarito.
Originally the business was marketed as “Whimz Hair Studio,” which was the corporation name.
After a July 1994 break-in and fire at another nearby salon – Alexander’s Hair Salon (as in Barb Alexander) – Bommarito and Reiss called to see how they could help.
They eventually merged the two businesses, and Whimz Hair Studio moved to 5501 North Belt West, where it operated until moving to Firehouse Crossing on Frank Scott Parkway in December 2007.
At that time, the business’ name became “Salon Whimz” to accommodate other offered services that included massage and nail care.
Bommarito says signing on to Alexander’s new downtown venture brings her and her long-time business partner full circle.
Strands31 is located at 15 S. High St. in downtown Belleville. Hours vary by stylist. For more information or to make an appointment, call 618-236-1191.
