Hair ‘N The Hook To Change Its Name

By Andrew Rote

Although it was not easy, staff members at Hair ‘N The Hook, the venerable Sandy Hook salon, have decided to change the shop’s name to Sandy Hook Hair Company.

On one recent Friday, after the last shift, the staff closed up shop and spread out close to 125 suggestions given by customers who entered a renaming contest. The potential names were read aloud, and distributed into one of three piles: probably, possible, and definitely not.

Close to 125 customers entered the renaming contest, which was won by Michelle Hadad. Besides having her winning name adorn the outside of the salon, Mrs Hadad won $500 in cash and prizes. Sandy Hook Hair Company, beat out The Cutting Edge, which was submitted by another customer, Marlene Husvar.

“We needed to have a bigger name because we are expanding in the future,” explained the salon’s owner, Bonnie Fredericks. Mrs Federicks, who has been in the hair business for 15 years, opened Hair ‘N The Hook four years ago, back when it was originally known as John’s Barbershop.

“We outgrew the old [name],” Mrs Fredericks adds.

Currently, Mrs Fredericks owns two hair salons: Hair ‘N The Hook on Church Hill Road, and Root 67, on Route 67 in Southford. She said recently that she does not plan on changing the name of the latter location, which she has owned for three years.

Denise Vadas and Courtney Taylor have worked at the salon since its inception. Both commented that the name Hair ‘N The Hook really only identifies the salon’s location to residents familiar with Sandy Hook’s nickname: The Hook. In order to reach out to others in town not familiar with Sandy Hook, the salon needed a more descriptive name, they explained.

“We still wanted to tell people where we are and what we do,” Mrs Vadas explains.

“Unless you’re from the area, you don’t know what [the Hook] means,” Mrs Taylor added.

Since the salon is comprised primarily of returning customers, opinions of the proposed name change vary.

Mike Reyen has been getting his hair cut at Hair ‘N The Hook since it first opened. He says he enjoys coming to the shop because he feels the atmosphere is very relaxing and family oriented. He agrees that the name change is good for their business.

Unlike Mr Reyen, other customers would like to retain the old name. Still, since there is such a local feel to the salon, employees figured by allowing their customers an active role in changing the name of their salon many would feel like nothing is changing except a name.

(Andrew Rote will be junior at Newtown High School next year. He has been a regular contributor to the school’s newspaper, The Hawkeye.)