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

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with brands like "Blo". Along with her brother Michael Landau, former Vice President of Brand Marketing at

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, 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

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-based private equity firm, to their list of investors in January 2012.

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, the former

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of GAP and President of

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, 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

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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

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, or

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. The idea behind this came from Webb. Webb’s vision is present in the designs of architect

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. 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,

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and

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. 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