Salon franchise biz cuts it up in Fla.

SARASOTA — My Salon Suite, a chain that offers salon suites to barbers and beauty professionals, plans to expand rapidly in Florida in the next few months, including Sarasota, south Tampa and Palm Harbor locations.

The New Orleans-based firm, with both franchise and corporate-owned stores, plans to open at least seven Florida locations in total this year, according to a release. It also recently opened a corporate store in south Sarasota. The firm, founded in 2010, offers individual salon suites for entrepreneurs who seek to run their own salon business, but don't want the overhead of their own store.

“Looking back over the past few years, the salon industry has drastically changed from only offering traditional chair and booth rentals or commission-based opportunities for health and beauty professionals,” My Salon Suite CEO Ken McAllister says in the release. “Today, My Salon Suite continues to be at the forefront of the changes in the industry by providing the next generation of salon professionals with new opportunities to achieve their dreams of financial freedom and owning their own businesses.”

A Sarasota franchise location is expected to open this quarter, the firm says. Locations in Largo, south Tampa, Palm Harbor and Delray are expected to open in the second quarter.