BELLOWS FALLS, Vt. – Studio 92, a new hair salon and art space located on The Square in Bellows Falls, recently hosted an open house event at their newly renovated store front, and not long after having officially opened their doors back on Feb. 2.
The owners, hair stylist Erica Daniels and artist Tim Wells, who met in Boston in 2020, had moved to Walpole in 2021, and after scouting around the area for a salon for Erica to work at, decided that opening her own salon was a better path to take. Then, while visiting nearby Bellows Falls, they wandered around and fell in love with the town.
“We found the old Shona and Real Scoop buildings, and started investigating the feasibility of buying and renovating the buildings,” Wells said in a recent interview. “The plan also developed to include a studio space for my sculptural endeavors.”
Wells and Daniels recently completed extensive renovations on the two historic buildings on Rockingham Street, after purchasing the buildings about a year ago. The former Shona Grill building is now the home of the aforementioned Studio 92, and the art deco style building right next door, the former home of the Real Scoop ice cream shop, is also newly renovated and ready to be rented as a commercial space.
The renovation process of both historic structures was extensive and expensive; however, Daniels and Wells are excited about the possibilities for both store fronts moving forward. The two buildings are neighboring another historic structure in the Miss Bellows Falls Diner, which is also in the process of being fully renovated and restored.
The new Studio 92 is a unique and beautiful space, as the owners installed a new roof, new floors, and interior walls and trim, while the second building, at 94 Rockingham Street, has new wiring, plumbing, interior walls and insulation, fully accessible bathrooms, and a new roof. Daniels and Wells are open to practically any type of creative new business that might want to utilize the downtown location.
“The Real Scoop building is still vacant, but we’ve had very promising preliminary talks with a group of entrepreneurs from Bellows Falls,” Wells said. “If the process goes well, it’s possible they could be open sometime this summer or fall. We were looking for a business with ties to the town, that offers a good product or service, that would bring realistic, significant value to the town. These folks check all those boxes and more, so we’re excited to continue moving forward with them.”
The aforementioned open house at Studio 92 was a success, with support coming from the Great Falls Chamber of Commerce, various community members and residents, and refreshments provided by the local 7 Balls Brewing.
“The ribbon-cutting event was fun,” Wells concluded. “It was a first for both of us – and we had a great turnout. Folks in this town have been nothing but welcoming and receptive to us, and having previously lived in towns where locals weren’t exactly welcoming of outsiders, we’ve been thrilled to find Bellows Falls to be the opposite.”