Business and balayage
The secret to running is a successful business is to keep evolving with the trends, says Angelo Marro, one of last year’s winners in the Eastside Business Awards.
Angelo Marro says hairdressing is like holding a mirror up to cultural movements.
“If you don’t evolve and become a part of that culture, and work within that culture, you get left behind,” says Angelo, who with his wife Tina founded Marro’s Hair & Beauty.
The salon took home the Best Hair/Beauty Salon award at last year’s Eastside Business Awards, an initiative of the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters.
Much has changed in the industry since he and Tina started out in the eighties. Continuing professional development in the form of cutting and colouring classes has gradually been overtaken – but not completely replaced – by how-to videos on social media.
Also disappearing in this digital age are the twice yearly lookbooks that once graced every salon – weighty tomes issued by hair products manufacturers, and slimmer ones created in-house to showcase a salon’s work.
“Whatever styles were coming in from London or Europe – they were the big definers of the trends,” Angelo says.
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“[Finding new styles] is all done on Google and the socials now.”
Social media is changing how long a hair style remains current – briefly igniting and quickly extinguishing microtrends, while the algorithms cause others to linger for far longer than one could anticipate.
Case in point being balayage: created in France in the 1970s, finding worldwide popularity in the late nineties and 2000s, and remaining popular ever since. For context, in 2009 Facebook allowed people to post to ‘everyone’, while Pinterest launched as an iPhone app in 2011.
Ombre colours are another trend that has had a long life, says Angelo.
“The industry used to evolve a lot quicker back then, basically there was always something new, but nothing has taken as much as the ombre and balayage,” he says.
He calls his industry “fun, satisfying and ever evolving”, like his business.
In December 2023, after more than three decades trading in Firle, Angelo and Tina relocated the salon to The Parade, Norwood.
“We fitted everything that we had [from Firle] into 50 square metres, which just shows we didn’t need as much space as we thought we did … and the business has grown exponentially over the last 15 months since we’ve been here,” he says.
Most of their clients made the move with them, while the salon has also strong following with a key target market, fashion-forward young women.
“Norwood is the place to be … it has a new vibe but still keeps its old heritage … and our customer demographics, as far as age, has become younger”.
Along with strong word of mouth from happy customers, winning the Eastside Business Award has been a factor in the salon’s growth.
“Being new to the area and winning it, it was a great feeling,” Angelo says.
“Everybody that came in said, Congratulations for winning, which means they knew.”
The Eastside Business Awards is an initiative of the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters recognising exceptional businesses that create exceptional and memorable experiences for residents and visitors alike.
“We strive to give a good service really and that’s why we’ve been around for 40 years,” says award-winner Angelo. “Because we do.”
The public is invited to nominate and vote for their favourite businesses in the 2025 Eastside Business Awards.
Simply for voting, you’ll be entered in a draw to win a $350 voucher to a business of your choice within the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters.
Voting closes Sunday, 16 March. For more information on the awards and to nominate a favourite business, visit the website.
This article is produced in collaboration with the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters.
