Drybar is a
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
based chain of salons that provides a hair styling service known as
blowouts. The company was founded in 2008 by
Alli Webb.
History
In 2008,
Alli Webb began a side business called Straight At Home, which provided an in-home hair experience. As demand quickly outgrew the one-woman operation, Webb noticed a "huge hole" in her local market for a business that provided solely hair
blowouts,
a concept that had already gained traction in larger cities such as
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
with brands like "Blo".
Along with her brother Michael Landau, former Vice President of Brand Marketing at
Yahoo!
Yahoo! (, styled yahoo''!'' in its logo) is an American web services provider. It is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California and operated by the namesake company Yahoo Inc., which is 90% owned by investment funds managed by Apollo Global Man ...
, and her husband Cameron Webb, former Creative Director at ad agency Secret Weapon Marketing,
Alli co-founded what would become Drybar by opening a salon in
Brentwood, California
Brentwood is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. It is located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population is 66,854 as of 2022, an increase of 287% from 23,302 at the 2000 census.
Brentwood began ...
in 2010. The following year, along with the help of friends, she raised $2.5 million to expand the business.
Once the business expanded, Drybar looked to add investors, as well as add to its board of trustees. They added Castanea Partners, a
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
-based private equity firm, to their list of investors in January 2012.
Paul Pressler
Paul Pressler is the chair of the board of directors of eBay. He was previously CEO of Gap, Inc., chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts and a partner at the private equity firm Clayton, Dubilier & Rice.
Early life and career
Pressler receive ...
, the former
CEO
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
of
GAP and President of
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
, became an investor and board member.
Janet Gurwitch Janet Gurwitch is the founder of Gurwitch Products, the manufacturer of Laura Mercier Cosmetics. She founded the company in 1995 and launched the Laura Mercier line in March 1996.
Biography
A native of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, United States, a ...
, the founder & former CEO of
Laura Mercier Cosmetics
Laura Mercier Cosmetics is a French and American cosmetics and skin care line that was founded in 1996 by celebrity makeup artist Laura Mercier.
Founder
Mercier teamed up with Janet Gurwitch Janet Gurwitch is the founder of Gurwitch Products ...
, also became an investor and board member at Drybar.
In 2019, the American consumer goods corporation
Helen of Troy
Helen of Troy, Helen, Helena, (Ancient Greek: Ἑλένη ''Helénē'', ) also known as beautiful Helen, Helen of Argos, or Helen of Sparta, was a figure in Greek mythology said to have been the most beautiful woman in the world. She was believe ...
acquired the Drybar trademark. In 2021, WellBiz Brands, Inc. acquired the Drybar shops' franchise rights.
Style of business
Everything at Drybar is referenced using the “bar vernacular”. The cashiers are called “bartenders” and hairstyles are named after cocktails, such as the
Cosmo
Cosmo may refer to:
Business and media
* Cosmopolitan (magazine), ''Cosmopolitan'' (magazine), a magazine for women, sometimes referred to as "Cosmo"
* ''Cosmo's Cosmic Adventure'', a 1992 video game
* Cosmo On-Line, a Brazilian generic Intern ...
,
Mai Tai
The Mai Tai is a cocktail made of rum, Curaçao liqueur, orgeat syrup, and lime juice. It is one of the characteristic cocktails in Tiki culture.
History
Victor J. Bergeron claimed to have invented the Mai Tai in 1944 at his restaurant, Trader ...
, or
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
.
The idea behind this came from Webb. Webb’s vision is present in the designs of architect
Josh Heitler
Josh is a masculine given name, frequently a diminutive (hypocorism) of the given names Joshua or Joseph, though since the 1970s, it has increasingly become a full name on its own. It may refer to:
People A–J
* "Josh", an early pseudonym of S ...
. Heitler, principal of a boutique architectural firm and now a partner in the company,
came up with the design elements and look of Drybar.
Instead of the typical salon set up, clients at Drybar “sit facing a U-shaped or single-stretch bar, with their backs to the mirrors,” which brings to mind sitting at a bar rather than being at a salon.
The bars have flat-screen televisions which generally screen chick-flick movies. Aesthetically, all Drybars look roughly the same.
Locations
Drybar revenue grew from $1.5 million in 2010 to revenue of $19 million in 2012 to $39 million in 2013.
As of January 2016, Drybar had 66
locations in 11 states,
Washington DC
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
and
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
,
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
.
As of November 2017, the number of locations had expanded to almost 90. As of October 2018, the company had over 100 locations and 3000 employees.
Products
Looking to increase revenue, Webb (along with the help of Board member and investor Janet Gurwitch) developed a line of products specifically for Drybar.
In 2013, after testing the line in about 70
Sephora
Sephora is a French multinational retailer of personal care and beauty products. Featuring nearly 340 brands, along with its own private label, Sephora Collection, Sephora offers beauty products including cosmetics, skincare, body, fragrance, n ...
locations, Drybar then went ahead with 300+ Sephora shops and
QVC
QVC (short for "Quality Value Convenience") is an American free-to-air television network, and flagship shopping channel specializing in televised home shopping, owned by Qurate Retail Group. Founded in 1986 by Joseph Segel in West Chester, Pen ...
to launch their line of products.
The motto of Drybar is "No cuts. No color. Just blowouts."
which is a reference to their primary service offering.
References
External links
* {{official website , drybar.com
Hairdressing salon chains
American companies established in 2008
Retail companies established in 2008
2008 establishments in California