Business partners and friends Paige Dobson (left) and Sarah Vinal will open Revive Salon & Skin Care at 202 Main St. in Damariscotta on Monday, Sept. 21. (Maia Zewert photo)
Downtown Damariscotta will welcome a new full-service hair salon and skin care business this week.
Revive Salon & Skin Care will open at 202 Main St. the morning of Monday, Sept. 21. The business will offer a full range of hair services, as well as facials, body waxing, occasion makeup, brow services, and more.
Business partners and friends Paige Dobson, of Waldoboro, and Sarah Vinal, of Nobleboro, will operate the salon. Dobson grew up in Damariscotta and met Vinal, originally of Bristol, when they attended Lincoln Academy in Newcastle.
“We became best friends in high school and have stayed best friends ever since,” Dobson said.
At different times in their lives, both women attended the Capilo Institute in Augusta. Dobson has been a licensed cosmetologist for 14 years, while Vinal became a licensed aesthetician six years ago.
The COVID-19 pandemic brought changes to the careers of both women, leading to the decision to go into business together, Vinal said.
“Especially during this time, everybody was like, ‘Wow, what a time to start a business,’” Vinal said. “But we’ve both been doing this a long time and are coming into this with clients. So it’s like starting over, but it’s not that big of a risk.”
“And if you’re going to take a risk, you might as well do it with someone you love and trust,” Dobson added. “We know we’re going to complement each other and our services.”
The pair looked at a few locations for the business before Vinal’s husband found the 202 Main St. space. Revive Salon & Skin Care takes up half of the first floor, while the other half is available for lease. The downtown location offers high visibility and off-street parking.
Revive Salon & Skin Care, at 202 Main St. in Damariscotta, offers a full range of skin care services, including facials, eyebrow and lash services, and body waxing. (Maia Zewert photo)
After getting into the building in mid-August, Dobson and Vinal received help from friends and family as they renovated the space to fit their needs.
“We really wanted to change the whole atmosphere of the place to make it inviting, modern, clean, and really our own. No one had really changed it before,” Dobson said.
Both Dobson and Vinal expressed excitement about introducing their clients to the new space and offering some normalcy during the pandemic.
“I think self-care is so important right now, especially with everything going on,” Dobson said. “I’ve had a lot of people say they wouldn’t take their hair or skin care appointment for granted again after all the things changing right now. It’s nice to put a smile back on people’s faces and help them feel good about themselves.”
Revive Salon & Skin Care will open at 202 Main St. in Damariscotta on Monday, Sept. 21. (Maia Zewert photo)
“And a lot of clients that we have, this is their time to treat themselves, feel pampered, and socialize, especially for some of our older clients,” Vinal added. “It’s really rewarding to watch people leave feeling amazing.”
Revive Salon & Skin Care is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Due to restrictions in place during the COVID-19 pandemic, one client per employee may enter the business at a time. Appointments are required. All customers must wear masks, and facials are not being offered at this time.
For more information about Revive Salon & Skin Care, call 563-6889 or find the business on Facebook.
