Hamilton native opens new salon on Main Street


IVY Salon & Gallery

WHERE: 116 Main St., Hamilton

HOURS: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursdays

MORE INFO/BOOK ONLINE: www.ivyhamilton.com

CONTACT: 513-857-5044

A new hair-styling business in Hamilton aims to provide premium services and upscale products in a pretentious-free atmosphere.

IVY Salon & Gallery, which opened at 116 Main St. in downtown Hamilton, offers a modern take on the traditional salon and barber shop by providing a “comforting, yet rejuvenating atmosphere” for clients to relax and unwind, according to owner Cassie Kellum, a Hamilton native.

The business offers hair grooming services for both women and men, as well as beard trims, facial waxing, conditioning treatments, makeup applications and basic manicures and pedicures.

Ashlee Willis, a Hamilton native, said she’s been to IVY Salon four times in the six weeks since it opened, seeing both Kellum and stylist Terry Stevens for her visits, because they provide “the best haircuts that I’ve had.”

“I love that it’s locally owned and the atmosphere is so welcoming,” Willis said. “It’s been so much easier to get up and go to work, honestly, because my hair is cooperating and the style was nice and easy for me. They’ve done a fantastic job. Any kind of haircut you want, they’re going to find exactly where you should be.”

Kellum, who got her start in hair styling in New Orleans, where she went to school, followed up a year of salon work there with five years in Hamilton and four years in Cincinnati and Fairfield Twp. before opening Ivy.

“I just wanted to be closer to home,” she said. “I was tired of commuting and wanted to do my own thing.”

Opening her own place allowed Kellum to offer “premium services and upscale products without it feeling pretentious and stuffy,” she said.

“I wanted to use natural products and ammonia-free color … and an open space that felt clean and earthy with no artificial smells,” she said. “I just really had a clear picture of what I wanted and it just made sense.”

The new business also highlights the works of Hamilton artist Michael Reuter, who is planning to open IVY's gallery and mixed use event space on the business' second floor within the next month.

Kellum said she’s excited to be a part of Hamilton’s revitalization efforts.

“I have two daughters who go to (sixth and eighth grade in) Hamilton City Schools and I loved working in Cincinnati, but this is where we’ll be for the next 10 years at least … so I wanted to do something to be a part of our own community,” she said.

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