Beauty Galore owner Susan Norrbom (seated) with hair designer Cindy Hoffman, and Amber Johnson. Ryan lely/Sonoma Valley Sun
Beauty Galore is getting a new look as well as new owners. Susan and Peter Norrbom bought the Maxwell Village retail beauty supply store and salon in September and are in the process of making changes that include a remodel of the rooms and a fresh color scheme. They are also adding new services and product lines.
Susan Norrbom has always been interested in hair and beauty, but was steered by family into other professions. “My grandmother was a beautician for 53 years and I wanted to be a stylist too,” said Norrbom. “But she told me to go into a profession that had benefits and a retirement plan.” Norrbom followed her grandmother’s advice and became a stockbroker, then ran dental offices for a number of years. However, there was still an undercurrent of interest in the hair and beauty field, so when Beauty Galore became available, she and her husband purchased it.
Norrbom’s sister, Nancy Ortiz, had been working in the shop, has stayed on as manager. Together, they are building an inventory of high-quality hair care products, and related lines of cosmetics and beauty supplies. “People in Sonoma have to pay more attention to their skin and hair than in some areas,” said Norrbom. “Here we get lots of sun and exposure to the outdoors and cold, dry air in the winter. So we have to have products that will protect our skin and hair.” The salon also offers sunless tanning with all-natural airbrush products that are easy to apply and give a natural-looking color. “We get a lot of brides and bridal parties that use the airbrush tanning,” she said. “We can also do just lower-body so women’s legs can look tan all year.”
The salon brought in a popular local stylist and hair color artist, Courtney Cuellar, to round out their seven-day-a-week salon services. “It’s so hard for people who work all week to get to a salon, so we have stylists available Sunday and Monday,” Norrbom explained.
Beauty Galore intends to have demonstrations of new products and services in upcoming months. Norrbom feels there is a synergy of types of businesses in Maxwell Village that can support and cross-promote their services. “We’re excited about the welcome we’ve gotten so far from the tenants and the public, and we want to create new ways to bring people the best products possible,” she said.
Beauty Galore is open Mon. – Fri. 9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sun. 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. at 19225 Hwy. 12.; 707.935.6313.
