Valorie Tate - Jul 2024
Calling Time Out on the Loathed Laundry Trek
Lugging an oversized hamper down the block filled with soggy towels in torrential rain or soaring temperatures was, understandably, the most hated job at Penton House Salons in Pensacola, FL. But with no space for a laundry room at one location, the towels had to be taken on foot to the Penton House barbershop.
“Our support staff loathed laundry duty,” says Alice Campbell, who with her husband, Doug Campbell, (former co-founder of the High Performance Salon Academy and, more recently co-founder of SalonDoc Coaching for salon business growth) opened Penton House nearly 20 years ago. “We had a constant stream of laundry that needed to be transported down the alley behind the property, processed and then brought back. It was a time-consuming and deeply unpopular job. Plus it was expensive. Energy and water costs are extremely high in our area, and we actually have to pay more for sewage than we do for water.”
FREEDOM FROM LAUNDRY
The Campbells knew there would be a solution somewhere, and they found it - in Dublin. In January 2023, they flew to the Irish capital for the Phorest Salon Summit and while there met the team from Sustain Beauty Co, who represent sustainable brands for the professional beauty industry. In conversation with the team there, they learned about Scrummi disposable towels and ECOHEADS salon basin nozzles. As soon as they got home to Florida, the hated towel-laden trudge between locations was halted. Now fresh, clean towels are delivered regularly to their door and all they do now is open the box of Scrummi towels.
Once the problem of laundry was solved, they dove head first into discovering more areas of conservation that also made business sense. They’ve installed ECOHEADS nozzles, cutting back water and energy use, implemented The Ping X Colour blender, and also added the hugely popular color removing wipes to their monthly subscription.
It’s typical of the clear-headed thinking by Alice and Doug. They have a history of making good decisions and then acting quickly to make them happen. The birth of Penton House is a case-in-point.
“When we were first married Doug couldn’t understand why I preferred working for someone else. But at the time I was travelling extensively as a Redken artist and I certainly didn’t want to get stuck managing a salon and team,” Alice recalls.
One day he asked her, ‘What would it take for you to open your own salon?’
"I told him I’d have to own the real estate as I was not going to be at the mercy of a landlord, and someone to run it because I wanted to be behind the chair doing hair or out educating,” she continues. “He said, ‘If I took over running the business side would you be in?’ The very next day we saw someone in the yard of the Penton property.”
This was an old house full of character built in 1910 from scratch, by a local community member who worked at the local sawmill. It stood proudly in a prime location near the highway but was empty and dilapidated, a sad reminder of a bygone era. It was still in the original owners family, who had finally decided it was time to put it up for sale just as the Campbells drove past 24 hours after deciding to become salon owners.
The Penton House is steeped in history, but the Campbell's have made their service offering and experience cutting-edge and modern.
“It was known as ‘The Penton house,’ so we knew immediately what we’d call our salon,” says Alice.
It was the beginning of a journey that has seen them expand and relocate, firstly to another location in Pace, with 6,000sq ft, which they still have.
“The Pace Salon and Spa is always humming. Before Scrummi, laundry was a constant ongoing process. ‘We are running low on towels’ was a statement heard way too often, even if we had more to fit in the cabinets when all were clean. The staff just trying to keep up when it’s busy was a struggle despite two washers and dryers,” says Alice.
Ditch laundry and upgrade to cleaner, softer, more absorbent, and more sustainable towels.
Then the salon and spa and barbershop were opened in neighbouring streets in Pensacola, and the dreaded trek to transport laundry began. But that’s gone now. Scrummi and ECOHEADS cut costs for Penton House, but they’ve also improved the experience for stylists, who love it that they no longer face the labor of laundry.
“They make amazing cleaning cloths after service, too!” adds Alice.
