Retail Buildout, Concealed Salon Design, and the Beginning of a Creative Pivot
Hyre & Company Home + Gift began as a small retail buildout designed to combine two worlds I had been operating separately for years: hairstyling and home merchandising.
The roughly 900–950 square foot space required significant renovation before becoming functional. Existing flooring was removed, mold remediation and cleanup became part of the process, walls were repaired, accent walls were created, lighting was replaced, and the layout was redesigned entirely to support both a concealed salon and a curated retail environment within the same footprint.
The goal was efficiency without sacrificing atmosphere.
Rather than operating two separate locations, the salon was intentionally integrated into the store while remaining visually concealed within the overall layout. Salon clients entered through the storefront before transitioning into a more private salon entrance located near the front desk area. This allowed the salon and retail environments to function simultaneously without visually competing with one another or disrupting the experience of either space.
Over time, the project became less about simply operating a business and more about understanding how people emotionally move through a space.
the build out
The buildout became an exercise in balancing:
- openness and privacy,
- retail flow and operational function,
- atmosphere and efficiency,
- and multiple experiences inside a relatively compact footprint.
Throughout the renovation, fixtures were rearranged repeatedly to improve circulation and sightlines. Lighting placement became critical to how the merchandise and environment felt throughout the day.
The focus was never simply displaying products. The focus was creating a space people emotionally responded to the moment they walked inside.
CONCEALED SALON + RETAIL FLOW
Rather than separating the salon entirely from the retail environment, the layout intentionally allowed both spaces to coexist while still feeling distinct from one another.
The salon became part of the overall experience without visually dominating the store itself.
This project became one of the earliest foundations of how I now think about design:
- atmosphere first,
- emotional response second,
- functionality always,
- and “design” last.
The space taught me how much circulation, compression, openness, lighting, and visual rhythm shape the way people physically and emotionally experience an environment.
ATMOSPHERE + MOVEMENT
The store became my introduction to visual merchandising as a form of storytelling rather than simple product placement.
I began paying closer attention to:
- visual rhythm,
- layered materials,
- lighting temperature,
- compression and openness,
- and how people physically and emotionally move through a space.
Much of what now exists throughout my work started inside that small storefront:
- creating environments that feel approachable rather than intimidating,
- balancing warmth with restraint,
- using lighting emotionally,
- and designing spaces that feel lived in rather than overly staged.
Without fully realizing it at the time, the store quietly became the beginning of my transition into broader spatial design and creative direction work.
HURRICANE HELENE + REINVENTION
Then Hurricane Helene arrived.
Like several other projects connected to this chapter of my life, the store was ultimately destroyed by the storm. Rather than reopening another retail storefront, I chose not to rebuild the business in the same form.
What initially felt like losing a business eventually became part of a much larger creative pivot toward merchandising, spatial design, consulting, rendering, and the broader work that now exists under Hyre & Company today.
The store no longer physically exists, but it remains one of the most important projects in the evolution of my work because it taught me how to:
- trust instinct,
- create atmosphere with limited resources,
- design for both feeling and function,
- and embrace reinvention when the original plan no longer fits.
In many ways, Hyre & Company Home + Gift was less a retail store and more the beginning of everything that came after.