Even in a recession, little things mean a lot By Linda Puner Staff Writer Fairpress Thursday, Jan. 31, 1991

Lavish is out but little luxuries are in during these tough economic times. Area beauty salons catering to both men and women and offering luxury services such as manicures, pedicures, facials and massages are booming. Other little luxuries that are getting the business are restaurants with a special touch, exercise salons, dog groomers and auto restoration. “My business is bigger than every, up 20 percent in the last year alone,” reports Charles Tuozzoli, owner and chief operator of Hair in Fairfield. “When people start pulling in their reins on more expensive items like houses and cars, they have more loose change left for beauty.” Loose change at Hair ranges from $25 to $75 for haircuts, $45 for a facial, $50 for a body massage and $170 for a full “day of beauty” (facial, massage, manicure, pedicure, make-up lesson, blow-dry and lunch).

Tuozzoli, who has been in business for 22 years and endured two other recessions, points out that a $75 haircut is cheaper than a new pair of shoes and “when you take your clothes off at night and stand in front of the mirror, you still feel good.”

A sense of comfort and control

Feeling good is what the salons are selling, and bad times may demand more of it. A year ago Susan Cragen, receptionist at Hair, was a rich Texan. Today she’s struggling in Fairfield, but her hair and nails look like a million.

Even before finding work at the salon, Cragen “always looked good. I couldn’t afford $1,000 dresses and expensive Mexican vacations anymore, but I could scrape up money for a manicure. I was able to go on because my nails and hair looked good. I felt good about myself, like some semblance of my former life. Nobody looking at me could tell how depressed I was. In some ways, it was harder than death because it wasn’t that final.”

Westport psychotherapist Don Cohen understands this emphasis on taking care of the body in turbulent times. “When you don’t have control of your situation, you want it in some way. (Beauty treatments) give the illusion that you still have control over your destiny.”

Paula Brini, spa director at Noelle The Day Spa in Stamford, is more direct. “Looking nice is a given, not a luxury. Women no longer feel guilty” about spending time and money on their physical appearance, she said. “You’re taking something you deserve; it’s not greed.”

Noelle has been serving the deserving for 20 years and is thriving. On a recent Thursday morning just after the holidays, a traditionally slow time, six women were participating in the full spa treatment. Included in the $210 day are a Swiss shower, hyudrotherapy massage, European facial, lunch, a slimming body treatment, shampoo, blow-dry and weight-loss tape.

“The first time is usually a gift,” Brini explains of the day spent at the quiet and classically decorated center. “But repeat business isn’t. People pick out what makes them feel best and do that.”

In fact, facials and massages are most popular. In tense times, people want to be touched, Brini says.
Beyond comfort, the treatments are considered part of a healthful lifestyle. Maida Sureski of Westport, a Noelle regular, says, “The spa is an extension of diet and exercise, and fits into the fitness generation. People feel good doing something good for their bodies.

“In Europe facials are considered necessary, not a luxury,” Sureski adds. “It’s becoming more acceptable here, too.”

Chasing the blues

The connection between what’s good and what’s good for you is also what keeps business robust at SoNo tratoria Pasta Nostra, despite an ailing restaurant economy. “My customers know I use quality ingredients,” says chef/owner Joe Bruno. So diners feel the fresh mozzarella, spinach, eggplant and herbs found in many of his signature dishes are healthful.

The downturned economy may have upped Bruno’s business. In boom times, diners who frequent Pasta Nostra may have splurged on an expensive night on the town in Manhattan. Now they save by eating good food close to home. “The foodies know I’m a bargain,” Bruno says. Entrée dinner prices have remained at $14 to $22 for three years.

Another reason for the restaurant’s success is atmosphere. “We have a fun ambiance. People come for a lift. It’s fun to be with people who are having fun,” Bruno says. “Some people are depressed ab out the Mideast and the economy. They come here for revitalization to be renurtured.”

Entering the small, black and white tiled trattoria feels like coming home. Bruno’s wife, sister and two children work at the restaurant, and the informal relationship between staff and customers is like a loving but gruff mother and her kids.

Bruno himself is a pretty strict father who refuses to serve butter because “it isn’t done in Italy.”
Part of what keeps Pasta Nostra busy is its take-out counter at the front of the restaurant. Full-blown catered affairs may be nixed by the economy, but small upscale take-o7ut establishments are selling food like hot canapés.

New owners of one such spot, TasteBuds in Wilton, are Reba and Paul Hassett. After 15 years in the food business, they decided to go out on their own in bad times. “Lots of highly successful businesses were bought during recessions,” Paul says. “People still have to eat and they want good food. They’re willing to pay for food rather than a fur coat or paint job.”

Like beauty business owners, the Hassetts say their service is a winner because it’s affordable and immediately satisfying.

Perhaps as an antidote to take-out food success, exercise classes are holding their own. Nancy Strong, owner and instructor of Fitness Forum in Norwalk and its classes throughout Fairfield, notes, “When things are tough, people want to be fit. Theater tickets and restaurants may be luxuries, but exercise isn’t.” A four-month membership costs $149.

“Exercise gives people self-confidence and the capability to handle difficult situations,” says Strong, who’s been in business for 20 years.

Wine and a home-cooked meal

This same concern with fitness in fitful times has hit the liquor business hard. On the other hand, the wine business is flourishing.

“We’ve just hired a separate person to run our wine department,” reports George Heinold, owner of World of Beverages in Norwalk. The department now fills 6,000 square feet, over a third of Heinold’s space. Heinold has “a gut feeling that more people are spending $5.99 for a bottle of wine and taking it home rather than paying the 100 percent markup for that same bottle in a restaurant.”

“The fact that people are not going out to dinner has a certain benefit to my business,” says Jim Brewer, owner of Harry’s Liquor Shop in Fairfield. “They’re buying a bottle of wine for that special meal at home. They want the best wine they can buy within their budget.” The average price is $7 to $12, says Brewer, whose business is 55 to 60 percent wine sales. He notes, “People are drinking less but better.”

On a more expensive level, but still considered a good deal, is auto restoration. Kent Bain, owner of Automotive Restorations in Stratford, describes his company’s position: “It’s like the home improvement business making out where the builder is not.”

His typical customer “goes to trade in his Mercedes, finds out how much it’s worth, how much a new one costs, and then asks, ‘How much will it cost to fix?’”

To some extent, Bain says, it makes economic sense to restore the old car. For example, Bain recently completed a 1972 Mercedes 280 SE 3.5 convertible that sold for $15,000 new and has a used car book value of $65,000 to $95,000 (Bain feels it’s closer to the lower figure). The car was “remanufactured” for $30,000.

Average reconditioning costs $25,000 to $35,000. But Bain points out that the restored vehicle has a practical and entertainment value and will continue to grow in market value because it’s a collectible.

The downside is that if the car is a collectible, its condition is important. Therefore, the owner should use another car for everyday transportation.

Bain’s customers may rationalize their outlays, but mostly they just plain love their cars. They say, “I really shouldn’t be doing this but I always really wanted to” and “I’ve waited a long time to do this and I can’t help that the economy is so bad right now.

“People buy the cars they liked when they came out,” says Bain.

“Cars are a product you get attached to like pets. They’re an extension of your physical capability. Either you had one when you were a kid or you couldn’t have one then and always wanted one.”
Psychotherapist Cohen notes that real pets are often extensions of their owners, too. Therefore, the strong trend in pet grooming is understandable.

Business zips along at a steady clip at the Grooming Room, a pet grooming center in Westport. About 18 pets a day are shampooed, cut, brushed, pedicured, oiled, defleaed and deticked.

Owner Debbie Zarembski does notice some changes, though. Pet owners – or “parents,” as they refer to themselves – are making more last-minute appointments. They’re waiting to see what’s left in their pockets at the end of the month, Zarembski guesses. The basic beauty treatment costs about $30 for the average-sized dog. A flea dip or medicated shampoo is an extra $10. An oil treatment is $2, but sometimes Zarembski just throws it in.

Digging deep into pockets for furry members of the family is common. “I spend more money on my dog than on my children and spouse. But I love my dog more than them,” customers tell Zrembski.

Regular customers, which include many cockers and bichon frises, are also stretching out the time between appointments. Two Tibetan terriers, who used to come every Wednesday now arrive every other week.

Styles in dogs have also changed the nature of Zarembski’s business. In the past she did lots of poodles, complete with pom-poms and nail polish. Now more rought-and-ready dogs such as mixed breeds, retrievers and labs are popular. These pets just need basic baths and flea dips.

“I haven’t done a Royal Dutch (poodle show cut) in years,” says Zarembski’s associate, Kelly Pekar. “People don’t want to spend money on that kind of handcutting anymore.”

But, “when it comes to fleas and ticks, money doesn’t mater,” adds Zarembski, who says 35 percent of her clients have had Lyme disease in their families. On the other hand, “no extras” is the parting comment of most customers.

Of this no-frills attitude, Westport psychiatrist Steve Kant explains, “In a recession people try to substitute little pleasures and fantasies for big ones. People are scaling back, but it’s too soon to tell. It hasn’t hit home yet.”