It’s been over nine months since New Face in Town salon moved its location from Coastal Highway in Fenwick Island to Williamsville , but the crew celebrated their upgrade this past weekend with a ceremonial ribbon-cutting with the Bethany-Fenwick Area Chamber of Commerce.
Coastal Point • RYAN SAXTON
Taking care of business can get quite hairy at New Face in Town but the staff puts their best face forward.
“It’s taken a while to get everything organized enough to have a grand opening,” said owner Debi Cavan, who advertises her business as a hair studio for the entire family.
Cavan has been in the hair business for roughly 42 years, 18 of which have been in Sussex County. Prior to her move to the area nearly two decades ago, she worked in Baltimore.
The Delaware shore had always been a vacation spot for her family. “We always came here,” she said. “I knew I’d eventually end up here.”
New Face in Town had spent the majority of its time in Ocean Bay Plaza in Fenwick, beside Jimmy’s Kitchen. Their move from Route 1 has since made way for Island Tan, and has allowed Cavan and her staff to focus on what they do best.
New Face in Town now sits at 26 London Avenue, in the Williamsville Industrial Park, off Route 54, just 1.25 miles west of the Route 20 intersection, across from Heavenly Hound.
“We’ve downsized in what we’re doing,” Cavan explained. “The warehouse gives us more room to concentrate on hair.” In addition to hair, New Face had previously provided nail service, too. Now, they’re focusing only on fancying up the follicles, with full salon treatment, facials, waxing, wigs and hairpieces. They carry popular hair-care brands, such as Back to Basics, Paul Mitchell and a full line of Joico products.
The move was a practical one for Cavan. With some assistance on the interior, courtesy of close friends Scott and Cathy Forwaldt, owners of the Fenwick Crab House, the new location was up and running.
“Most of our clients are year-round, and they’re out [west], away from the beach,” Cavan noted. “They don’t want to commute out there and fight the traffic. They come from all over. Now, we’re at a more neutral location. We also just wanted a new salon. The building we were in before was older.”
Despite picking up many more clients who may have not wanted to make the trek to Coastal Highway, Cavan was slightly discouraged about the salon’s new exterior, in the industrial park.
“One of the problems is that people don’t know where we are,” she said. “They’re not used to seeing businesses — especially salons — in warehouses.”
Her initial concerns were shared by her employees, including Tiffany Havens, who has been working with Cavan for more than six years. “At first, I think we were worried about going into the warehouse,” Havens said. “When you go inside, though, it’s completely worth it. It’s not what most people expect.”
The staff at New Face in Town has enjoyed seeing regulars, as well as some… new faces walk through their door. “We’re getting a lot back,” said Cavan.
“I think we’re doing better,” Havens added. “We have a lot of new customers. We’ve done very well for ourselves.”