Success is Beautiful
Sisters to Expand Salon to Accommodate Growth

By Michael D. Hernandez
El Paso Times

From Tencha Barragan's vantage point, haircuts and color treatments may generate the lifeblood of a salon's revenues, but the tension-relieving services that a spa can offer are luring a new, burgeoning market of clients unafraid of spending a few more dollars to pamper themselves.

Deep-cleansing facials and relaxing massages "are not a luxury anymore; it's become a real necessity," said Barragan, one of four sisters who own and operate Barragan's Salon and Spa. "I think our lives have become a lot more stressful and now people are turning to this to relieve that pressure."

Combining the traditional services of a salon with the innovative features of a spa helped place the bustling West Side operation on a prestigious list of the 200 fastest-growing salons compiled by Salon Today magazine, a top business publication for the professional beauty industry.

In its January 2004 issue, the magazine honored the applicants who posted the highest increases in gross sales between 2001 and 2002, and who were on track to increase sales significantly in 2003.

Though the operators of Barragan's did not disclose the company's sales figures for 2003, the
magazine chose for its list only salons that grossed at least $100,000 in revenues.

Terry and Tencha Barragan, along with Yolanda Reyes and Margie Garibay, guide the business, which started in 1972 as a humble salon neighboring their father's barbershop on North Mesa. After building up its clientele over several years, the business moved to its present location — a 2,500-square-foot space at 3501 Sun Bowl Drive — and now it is on the cusp of its next move forward.

In May, Barragan's Salon and Spa is slated to relocate to a 5,000-square-foot stand-alone building at 690 S. Mesa Hills, solving a pair of problems that have slowed growth for the business.

"We've grown out of this location," Terry Barragan said and added that the salon has some times turned away business because of limitations on space.

Barragan's, which employs a staff of 21, received a loan from the Small Business Administration for its new building, which has sparked excitement in many of its customers.

"I'm elated about their move," said longtime customer Cherrie Forman just before a trim and a manicure Thursday. "The parking for customers isn't that good."

And the new building will allow Barragan's to concentrate more on spa services with a Jacuzzi, steam room and showers, Reyes said, and added that privacy for customers.

Terry Barragan credits a class she took at the University of Texas at El Paso for helping the salon solidify its business plan and identify its opportunities for growth.

But she believes the foundation for long-term success has been built by the teamwork of all four sisters, who each focus on one aspect of the business.

Reyes handles management of the salon, Tencha Barragan over sees the company's inventory and training, Garibay handles the bookkeeping, and Terry Barragan helps train new employees while heading marketing and advertising for the business.

"I think that's why this has worked so well," she said. "We each have our own department of the business that we've branched out into, but we're all working together. And that feeling of family is what all of our employees have with them, too."

Barragan's, which routinely buys print, radio and television ads, also participated in the Salons for the Cure program, which benefited the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

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