Drybar is a

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

-based chain of salons that provides a hair styling service known as blowouts. The company was founded in 2010 by

Alli Webb Alli Webb is an American businesswoman and writer. She is the co-founder of Drybar, a chain of American salons providing a hairstyling service known as blowouts. Early life and education Growing up in Boca Raton, Florida, Webb attended Olymp ...

History

In 2009,

began a side business called Straight At Home, which provided an at-home hair experience. As demand quickly outgrew the one-woman operation, Webb noticed a "huge hole" in her local market for a business that provided solely hair blowouts, a concept that had already gained traction in larger cities such as

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

with brands like "Blo". In 2010, along with her brother Michael Landau, Alli co-founded Drybar. The following year, along with the help of friends, she raised $2.5 million to expand the business. They added Castanea Partners, a

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

-based private equity firm, to their list of investors in January 2012. Laura Mercier Cosmetics founder and former CEO Janet Gurwitch joined the company's board, as well Paul Pressler, the former president and CEO of Gap the same year. In 2019, the American consumer goods corporation

Helen of Troy Helen (), also known as Helen of Troy, or Helen of Sparta, and in Latin as Helena, was a figure in Greek mythology said to have been the most beautiful woman in the world. She was believed to have been the daughter of Zeus and Leda (mythology), ...

acquired the Drybar trademark for $255 million in cash. In 2021, WellBiz Brands, Inc. acquired the Drybar shops' franchise rights.

Style of business

Everything at Drybar is referenced using the “bar vernacular”. The cashiers are called “bartenders” and hairstyles are named after cocktails, such as the Cosmo,

Mai Tai The Mai Tai ( ) is a cocktail made of rum, Curaçao liqueur, orgeat syrup, and lime juice. It is one of the characteristic cocktails in Tiki culture. History Victor J. Bergeron claimed to have invented the Mai Tai in 1944 at his restaurant, ...

, or

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. The idea behind this came from Webb. Webb’s vision is present in the designs of architect Josh Heitler. Heitler, principal of a boutique architectural firm and now a partner in the company, came up with the design elements and look of Drybar. Instead of the typical salon setup, clients at Drybar “sit facing a U-shaped or single-stretch bar, with their backs to the mirrors,” which brings to mind sitting at a bar rather than being at a salon.

Locations

Drybar revenue grew from $1.5 million in 2010 to $19 million in 2012 and to $39 million in 2013. As of January 2016, Drybar had 66 locations in 11 states,

Washington DC Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

and

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

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. As of November 2017, the number of locations had expanded to almost 90. As of October 2018, the company has over 100 locations and 3000 employees.

Products

Looking to increase revenue, Webb (along with the help of Board member and investor Janet Gurwitch) developed a line of products specifically for Drybar. In 2013, after testing the line in about 70

Sephora Sephora is a French multinational retailer of personal care and beauty products, offering nearly 340 brands alongside its own private label, the Sephora Collection. Its product range includes cosmetics, skincare, fragrance, nail color, beauty t ...

locations, Drybar went ahead with 300+ Sephora shops and

QVC QVC (short for "Quality Value Convenience") is an American free-to-air television network and a flagship shopping channel specializing in televised Shopping channel, home shopping, owned by QVC Group (formerly Qurate Retail Group). Founded in 19 ...

to launch their line of products. The motto of Drybar is "No cuts. No color. Just wash & blowouts." which is a reference to their primary service offering.

References

External links

* {{official website , drybar.com Hairdressing salon chains American companies established in 2008 Retail companies established in 2008 2008 establishments in California