By WMBD TV
BLOOMINGTON – Sara Blair is finding hope after losing her salon in a fire.
Born in Pontiac and raised in Bloomington, Blair is a central Illinois native. Before the new year she accomplished her dream of having an all-in-one salon when she opened Stay Beautiful Gemini Hair & More on Lafayette Street. But it was short lived after a devastating fire last week.
“I’m just heartbroken. And I know I’ll be back,” said owner Blair. “I’ll bounce back by the grace of God. It’s just very devastating that it’s just all gone in one night.”
Owning a one stop shop for beauty has been a childhood dream for Blair.
“I always loved makeup, hair, fashion. That was kind of my thing, so I always knew that I wanted to do it,” she said. “But I wanted to pursue more. I wanted to own the establishment and help women, men, gender-neutral feel good about themselves.”
Blair said her dream came true just before December 2024. Services at the salon included waxing, teeth whitening, manicures, pedicures with coffee, champagne and a chocolate fountain.
The dream came to an end Thursday night after firefighters battled flames for about four hours.
“We had four private sweets. I had a lounge, a huge storage room, a separate room off to the side with a washer and dryer. We had a fireplace. It was amazing,” said Blair.
But the devastation goes beyond the loss of material items for the mother of two.
“This place is more than just a salon. I want it to be for people, for children with disabilities. I want people to feel comfortable to bring their children here,” Blair said. “So I had a bunch of sensory toys in there, games, coloring books”
Blair shared how she connected with a new client and the client’s son a few weeks before the fire.
“I said, ‘You know my son is autistic too.’ We kind of got to talking and I asked him, ‘what do you like to watch on tv?’ I put his cartoons on, I got him a sensory ball and he was fine. She said, ‘you know what. I’ll be back here every time he needs a haircut,’” said Blair.
Faith keeps Blair hopeful for the future that her salon will rise like a phoenix from the ashes.
“I have such a huge vision for my salon. I was just beginning. Just getting started. Like I said by the grace of god I’ll be back. I just got to pick up the pieces,” she said.
Blair was planning on having a cookout in April to showcase her salon. She said when she reopens she hopes there’s a line outside the door. To donate to the salon’s GoFundMe click here.
Beauty for ashes comes from the Bible verse Isaiah 61:3, “To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory.”
WMBD TV can be reached at News@WJBC.com.
