Salon Concrete celebrated its first business day after a move Wednesday. (Photos by Danielle Tepper. Click to enlarge)
By DANIELLE TEPPER
Red Bank’s 
Salon Concrete reopened for business Wednesday at a new Broad Street location, a move owner Christine Zilinski says had been a “long time coming.”
The process of occupying the 2,500-square-foot location at 123 Broad – formerly home of Surray Luggage – began almost a full year ago. After signing the lease, it took until October to start renovation work on a space that had been an eyesore vacancy for almost six years.
“Then Sandy hit, and that of course put us back a little bit,” said Zilinski.
After opening in June of 2000, Salon Concrete spent six years on Monmouth Street and another six above Lavish Kids, and then Femme by Ashley, at 15 Broad Street. Both locations, Zilinski said, lacked the visibility needed to give the salon optimum exposure.
“We were very hidden,” she said. “IÂ’m sure people are going to see us now, and say, ‘Oh look, a new salon.’ But weÂ’ve been here for 13 years.”
Zilinski is hopeful that the new site, next door to Garmany and at the busy intersection of Broad and Peters Place, will work to the salon’s advantage – and so will the extra room to play.
“We’re doubling in space,” she said. “We had 11 chairs at our old location, but now we have 22. We’re waiting on the last eight to come in right now.”
She wants to use that extra space to make the salon more than just a hairstyling experience.
“I’d love to host community events and have it be a place that people can just come and hang out and really enjoy it,” she said.
Her main hope is to host art gallery nights, at which local artists could display their work in the industrial space.
“We could hang it off the mirrors and maybe suspend them from the exposed ceilings. We could have easels set up. Then everyone could come in and check it out,” she said.
Zilinski, who travels around the country teaching hair-styling techniques, said she would love to run classes and workshops out of the salon.
While Salon Concrete, soon to be joined in the building by Pure Barre fitness center, is open for business, itÂ’s not quite finished aesthetically. Zilinski said all design changes should be complete by the end of March.
“We’re at about 90 percent right now,” said Zilinski. “But we really wanted to get moving. Our clientele kept expanding, so we really outgrew our old space. It was time for a change.”
The front of the building is currently being renovated, with construction currently being done to the sidewalk and a new awning is on the way. Said Zilinski, “It will be really pretty.”
