MANSFIELD, Ohio – Downtown Mansfield will soon be home to two new businesses thanks to entrepreneurs Andi Hale and Dr. Melissa McRae. The former Key Bank building at 42 N. Main St. will house Bankz Salon and Vitality Natural Wellness and Med Spa, bringing high-end salon services as well as a doctor’s office and nonsurgical cosmetics to the downtown area.
With a business plan in mind, the pair searched for the perfect building. Seeing the former bank for sale, they decided to take a look. “We called up the realtor, and we walked in the door and thought ‘This is it,” said McRae.
The building, which the pair would like to be known as “the Bankz building,” rather than “the former Key Bank building,” offers a lot of history, and has even offered up a few treasures of its own with the discovery of old documents, some from the 1800s, in the vaults.
Many aspects of the building will remain, including the teller stations and the vault. The pair hope to maintain the integrity of the building and use it to enhance the salon experience.
“We really want to be a destination location,” said McRae. “It’s an incredible building. We want to enhance everything about the building that we can, but also make it a destination place where people want to come and feel good when they’re here, with excellent customer service.”
“Downtown Mansfield is starting to boom, and we can bring a lot of people to the area,” said Hale, the entrepreneur behind Bankz Salon. The salon will offer pedicures, manicures, and full hair services including a blowout bar and color bar among other services.
McRae, an osteopathic physician and the entrepreneur behind Vitality Natural Wellness and Med Spa, explained that the med spa will focus on prevention and wellness as well as nonsurgical cosmetics which include Botox, fillers, tattoo removal, laser hair removal, and spider vein therapy. The med spa will also offer IV nutrition therapy, hormone optimization, and bioidentical hormones.
McRae has been in private practice in Mt. Gilead for nearly ten years, but noted that 80 percent of her cosmetic patients come from Mansfield. She said that the move to Mansfield just made sense.
Unique to her practice, McRae will not accept insurance, thereby offering what she said will be a more affordable option for those without insurance. Additionally, the time saved in paperwork will allow her to spend more time with patients. “I think it’s going to be good, and I feel good about how it’s going to work,” said McRae.
The pair have been friends for years, noted Hale. McRae said of Hale, “She grew up in the salon environment and she’s a great business woman. She’s always wanted something like this, so when this came about, it just developed,” said McRae.
“The things that I am able to offer from a medical standpoint kind of go hand-in-hand with people looking better and feeling better,” said McRae. “I’m from the inside-out aspect, and [Hale] is from the outside-in aspect, so we want it to be a place people are drawn to.”
Hale and McRae are now co-owners of the building, but each will own their own business. The pair even have plans to expand by allowing other small businesses to operate within the building. “There’s a ton of space; it’s a huge building,” said McRae. “We are exploring some different partnerships for developing those other spaces that fit with the theme of what we want this building to be.”
The pair noted that if they are not approached by businesses that are a good fit, they have ideas of their own. One idea being explored is a high-end barbershop, including straight-blade shaves and pool tables. “Like the man cave, but very comfortable and catering to the male mind,” said McRae.
Hale said though she has some great stylists coming to the salon, she has room for a few more. Any interested stylists may contact her at Andi@BankzSalon.com. She has a website in the works and noted the Bankz Salon Facebook page would be up soon.
McRae, while changing offices, may be reached at 419-515-5758 where a voicemail may be left for her. More information may also be found at her website.
Vitality Natural Wellness and Med Spa plans to open in mid-February, and Bankz Salon plans to open in mid-March. A dual grand opening is tentatively planned for some time in April.
“We’re really excited to be downtown,” said McRae. “There’s so many really good things happening and it’s fun to be a part of it.”
As women entrepreneurs, the pair hope to make a mark in downtown Mansfield. “Two women doing it, it’s a good thing,” said Hale. “Women need to step up.”
“It’s an incredible building. We want to enhance everything about the building that we can, but also make it a destination place where people want to come and feel good when they’re here, with excellent customer service,” said Melissa McRae.
