Two Baton Rouge-area salons are moving across town into the Rigsby Frederick Salon & Gallery on the corner of Essen Lane and Perkins Road.
Janie and Ken LaPrairie of JKL Salon, previously on Highland Road, and Nona Robillard and Kim Callais of Via Veneto Salon, on Corporate Boulevard, approached Frederick a few months ago with the idea of leasing space in his building in an effort to “simplify their businesses,” he says.
Frederick saw an opportunity for “artistic space sharing” and began working on a deal for them to move into his building.
“I’m just building on my brand and keeping it fresh,” says Frederick, who’s operated his salon and gallery on Perkins Road for more than 35 years. JKL and Via Veneto will remain as independently-owned salons and are only leasing space in the building.
The other two salons will lease about two-thirds of Frederick’s building, which is being renovated for the new venture. To help make room, he’s also looking to move some of his sculptures from the gallery area he created inside the salon into a museum.
The JKL Salon and Via Veneto Salon are currently moving into the building and will be operational in the new space Sept. 1.
“It’s a bold move to allow competitors in your space,” Frederick says. “You have to be elastic, as flexible as bamboo and as tough as a horn-backed 12-foot gator to make it.”
Clarification: Ken LaPrairie of JKL Salon disputes that he approached Rigsby Frederick about leasing space in the Perkins Road building, maintaining it was Frederick who reached out to JKL. Both JKL and Via Veneto Salon are independent, stand-alone businesses and will only be leasing space in Fredrick’s building.
