April 1, 2020

Loghin Welch was determined her business was going to open regardless of the upheaval around COVID-19.

And April 2, The Factory Salon + Studio will be ready for customers in its new home on the first floor of The Cascade, the mixed-use building on North Phillips Avenue across from Falls Park West.

“We’ve done a 30-day build-out. It’s been insane,” said Welch, who is one of the original stylists at the salon that opened in 2017.

“My dad owns an HVAC company and has connections with construction people, and I just said, ‘You guys, we need to get this done by the end of March.’ It’s so cool. I’m obsessed.”

The new location, between La Luna Cafe and Layered Elements home decor store, has a modern look that still brings in touches of the industrial, eclectic vibe that the business had in its original location at 217 N. Minnesota Ave.

Co-founders stylist Landon Blow and photographer Tyler Jacobsen remain part of the team, as do the other original members of the business. The business model is booth rental. There are four additional hair stylists: Amanda Black, Kiley Black, Autumn Schumaker and Ariel Beaird. Welch is an esthetician specializing in sugaring hair removal, and Kitty Cihak is a nail technician.

“Our clients are super excited about The Cascade and having a brewery and coffee shop next door,” Welch said. “We didn’t want to leave downtown. We are totally a downtown type of group, and we loved that Cascade has free parking outside so our clients don’t have to worry about meters or street parking.”

The business is working strategically to follow city COVID-19 guidelines and make sure there are no more than 10 patrons at a time, she added. It’s only open to existing clients for now.

“We are going to be considerate and obviously follow the 10 and under rule, which is pretty easy for us to do because we all have different schedules. The chances of us all working at the same time is pretty slim.”