Uptown girls open salon

Peering through an industrialized piece of art covering the main window, you see black cabinets with silver fronts, spiky light fixtures and clean wooden floors. The modern industrial look doesn’t take away from the ladies running the new uptown salon.

Uptown Styles, at 311 W. Adams St., is managed by Tami Day and her daughter Leah Day. While it may be small, sandwiched between the Strand Theatre and Jade Garden, the business has kept a revolving door.

Tami, 55, who was a stylist formerly located in her homegrown business of Homestyle Salon for about 20 years, and Leah, 24, a cosmetologist fresh out of school, banded together to open the salon June 5.

“When Leah went to cosmetology school, we decided we needed a little bit more space. So we rented this,” Tami said.

“I grew up watching my mom do hair,” Leah said. “We’d be in and out of the salon all the time. So, I think that’s how I fell in love with it.”

The space was rented in late March, and after a total renovation inside, the space now boasts the clean, professional look the duo was looking for.

“We had to literally, from the ceiling to the floor, redo everything,” Tami said. “It was crazy. Plus working at my shop. And her dad, my husband, did a lot of the work.”

“But you guys are a good team,” Leah said. “She thinks of everything super creative, and then my dad, he’s the one who brings it to life, makes it work. They make a good pair.”

The lighting was the most difficult part, as Tami wanted specific fixtures which ended up providing less light than they needed for styling. In the end, they used fun fixtures and regular fluorescent lighting.

The name came next. Tami was styling a client’s hair and the two began talking. The client told her about an old theatre that used to be located along West Adams Street called Uptown Theatre, and the name stuck.

The two, Tami, a 1985 graduate of Hair Tech School of Cosmetology and Leah, a May graduate of La James in Des Moines, keep fairly busy at their space and hope to eventually expand to a larger one in the future. Currently, they provide men’s, women’s and children’s hair cuts, colors and treatments, formal occasion styles and facial waxing.

“My mom’s more old school when it comes to things, and I like to try the trendier stuff,” Leah said. “But, we bounce ideas off each other, which is super cool.”

“I’ve used her ideas, which are super new,” Tami said.

“And, I always use her ideas,” Leah responded, “Because there’s nothing wrong with old school.”

Leah, who also works full time at First National Bank, eventually wants to add microblading to her repertoire, allowing her to give clients semi-permanent makeup similar to tattoo.

“I like being creative and I like making people happy, too, just like my mom does,” Leah said. “I love seeing our visions for hair come to life.”

For more information or to schedule an appointment, contact Tami and 641-782-7207 or 641-202-1027 or Leah at 515-468-8225.