BETHALTO - The Islands Salon at 125 W. Central St. in Bethalto is going strong after 10 years.
The business recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. The salon has hair stylists, and also offers tanning and nail services.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
Geri and Mike Mathews are the owners of the business. The Islands Salon is definitely family-oriented, with her children and husband also involved.
The Islands Salon offers a wide selection of tanning packages, lotions and a staff of hair stylists and nail technicians and products to match. The Islands is considered a Paul Mitchell-focused salon.
Mathews said her work at The Islands is truly a labor of love because of her passion to The Islands’ clients and her staff. Mathews said the key to her business success has been a proper customer service approach.
“We have 10 hair stylists, two nail technicians and eight tanning beds,” she said. “Tanning is a big part of our business. When we first started we did have more tanning clients, but now we also have 300 people walk through in a week for hair and nails.”
Mathews loves that she is able to provide a business she is proud of for the Bethalto region. She said the business is very community and civic oriented.
“We do a lot of donations and certificates for fundraisers,” she said. “My whole family is involved in the business.”
Mathews worked for 20 years at Holiday Inn in management and customer service before she moved to the business. Her oldest daughter, Ashley, has been a hair stylist for 13 years and at The Islands with her family since it opened.
Geri’s husband, Mike, who is also a teacher, helps out with anything needed at night for the operation. Geri’s daughter, Amy, also still works and is a school teacher in Ladue, Mo., and Adam fills in too at night. Adam is also a BJC employee. Her son and daughter both help her as much as they can in the evening in the front counter part of the operation, setting up appointments, selling products and much more. Geri's son-in-law, John, does all the maintenance for the business.
Besides Geri and Mike’s children, Ashley Webb, son in-law John Webb, Amy Mathews and Adam Mathews working the business, Andrew Shaw and Kayla McCollum are also part-time receptionists.
Hairstylists are: Ashley Webb, Brooke Buhs, Kelly Lively, Lisa Jones, Donea Carlton, Jesse Steeg, Julie Clardy, Kristin Harris, Mindy Masiero and Heather Allen.
Nail Technicians are: Karrie Stahl & Robin Dannenbrink
On Thursday evenings, The Islands offers custom spray tans by Jessica Stiverson.
Geri had no plans to enter the hair business, but one of her daughters, Ashley, wanted to be a hair stylist.
The name “The Islands,” came because Geri and her husband are huge Jimmy Buffett fans.
Those who visit The Islands Salon are likely to feel like they have taken a vacation for a few hours with the treatment they receive for hair, nails, tanning and with their service, Geri said.
For more, contact The Islands Salon at (618) 377-1800.
More like this:
