Meet Christy Stewart and Nicole Bencurik of Refinery 208 Salon in Arcadia Lite

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christy Stewart and Nicole Bencurik.

Christy and Nicole met over 11 years ago when Nicole chose the chair beside Christy and they have been “work wives” ever since. They started out at a big salon in North Scottsdale. Even though they loved the owner of that salon and all of the amazing stylists they had the opportunity to work with, they knew it was time to grow. Off to their own salon suite!. They quickly outgrew that space and had an opportunity to open salon suites of their own and soon The Studio Beauty Salon and Suites in North Phoenix was born. The Studio is a small group of salon suites with a boutique look and feel. The mission has and will always be to help lift up and support other artists. Christy and Nicole worked out of that space until once again they outgrew it!

In March of 2019, they opened Refinery 208 Salon in the central Phoenix/Arcadia Lite neighborhood. Refinery 208 is a color and extension focused salon. Christy and Nicole love helping women “refine” their beauty and confidence through the art of hair. They also have started to offer education to other stylists looking to grow their businesses. Balancing family life, raising children and owning two businesses has been a challenge but neither one of them would have it any other way!

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
We don’t think anyone who is an entrepreneur has not had struggles! We certainly had bumps along our road. It took us about a year before we found the space for Refinery 208 Salon. We were working at our space at the Studio and we were bursting at the seams. We had at least three different opportunities fall through. Each one disappointed us and we wanted to throw in the towel but kept at it.

We decided to explore the world of extensions about three years ago and had to build our extension clientele from zero. It took a lot of commitment and consistency for us to ever see any success. Just when we got fed up and wanted to quit, we kept going. One of the greatest things about our relationship is that we never let each other down and we support each other through all the bumps and roadblocks. Just when you think you’re ready to quit, that’s when you keep going!

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Refinery 208 Salon – what should we know?
We are a salon focused on lived in color and hand tied hair extensions. We are certified in over 14 extension methods with over three years of specializing in hand tied methods. We strive to stay on trend by constantly educating ourselves and our staff. We are most proud of our philosophy that all women deserve to feel their absolute best and most beautiful. We love that we can be a part of that by helping women achieve their hair goals. Not all women are born with great hair and it can be devastating to their confidence. To see our guests leave feeling more confident in our “why”. We at Refinery cater to each guest need. We offer many methods of extensions because one size definitely does not fit all. We work with our clients the entire service. Our salon only has five chairs for a reason. We want our guests to feel comfortable and relaxed. Getting your hair done should be a fun relaxing experience!

What were you like growing up?
Since I’m writing about both of us I’ll do my best for Nicole.

Nicole grew up in Nebraska and was a Tomboy who loves dresses! She loved to climb trees with the boys but then do her barbies hair and dress up herself! She was extremely driven and hard working.

Christy is originally from Michigan but primarily grew up here in the Valley. She was a competitive dancer her whole life. She definitely was a Barbie loving girl who loved to cut her doll’s hair but also made her brother teach her how to throw and skateboard.

I can speak for both of us and say we are both oldest children who have quite the competitive streak! It’s kind of crazy how well we get along!

Contact Info:

• Address: 2546 E Indian School Rd Suite A
  Phoenix 85016
• Website: www.refinery208salon.com
• Phone: 480-509-7728
• Email: refinery208salon@gmail.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/refinery208salon
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/refinery208salon

Image Credit:
Hair images: Refinery 208 Salon, All others: Taylor Henning Instagram @taylornoelle

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