Eye Candy Salon & Spa, located at 3001 W. White Oaks Drive, has recently doubled in size by expanding into an adjacent suite. The owner, Tye Hale, opened the business in the Cascades Shopping Center last November. Tye had previously rented space at a salon in town before deciding to go out on her own last year. The business started with three people and has already grown to a total of 11, which includes hairdressers, nail technicians and estheticians.
Eye Candy Salon & Spa is an offshoot of Eye Candy Boutique, a business that Tye’s mother, Alinda Hale, acquired in 2015. The boutique specializes in custom rhinestone apparel and accessories, custom vinyl and home décor merchandise. Alinda kept the original location at 2402 W. Jefferson, Suite B, in Springfield but when she started looking for a larger location and came across adjacent spaces in the Cascades Shopping Center she realized it would make sense for she and her daughter to join forces. The suite next to the salon is now the main retail location for Eye Candy Boutique, while production and online orders are handled out of the Jefferson location.
Last month, Eye Candy Salon & Spa took over the space formerly occupied by the Times Square Sewing Center. “We got a fresh start; it was an empty space so we got to customize it all,” explained Tye. “We cut an opening in the wall and did a complete remodel.”
In addition to increasing the number of employees, the expansion allowed Tye to add nail services and sweat beds. “They’re basically a type of heat bed to detox your body,” Tye said. “We have five beds now, and we’re probably one of the only places in town to offer that service.”
Eye Candy Salon & Spa started seeing clients in the new space on Aug. 27 and Tye said, “We’ve grown really fast, so I’m content with where we’ve gotten to.”
