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.”
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