Sherae Honeycutt

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Original Post

Most of the time when you think about co-working spaces you might think about a start-up tech company, or marketing. But a new space in Midtown is giving that idea a makeover.

Broadway Boulevard is a bustling drive-by thoroughfare, but a new salon co-working space hopes you’ll stop by, relax, and take a break.

“We’ve talked a lot about density and accessibility, walkability,” owner Lauren Euston said. “There’s so much within a small amount of space, and I’d love to see Kansas City continue to grow and thrive.”

Moss Salon Studios is still under construction, but when it opens, salon professionals can rent their own space without the overhead cost of starting their own business.

“We wanted to take that blow for entrepreneurs here in the urban core to make sure that they didn’t have to do that because that is one of the biggest steps that someone has to take when they’re opening their own business,” COO Kemet Coleman said.

“Creating a space like this and giving people the opportunity to start their own business with one to two thousand dollars is a hand up in your career,” Euston said. “You can actually grow yourself, grow your business, whether it’s selling products or services.”

Euston said cutting out that cost for some stylists could mean they can avoid being priced out of a city they love.

“We realized how much it takes to revitalize a space,” Euston said. “It’s one of the reason rents are going up across the metro, and it’s a real problem for small businesses.”

Many salons offer a chair for stylists they choose to hire, but Moss wants to give salon professionals space for their own business to grow.

“We wanted to make sure that there was common space so that other people, other clients, other renters, other stylists can collaborate, can go out, can have a good time, can work — all these other connectors that make a city great,” Coleman said.

Euston said they have about half of their spaces filled and plan to open in May. They’re looking for not just stylists, but spa services and wellness professionals, too.