Beverly Hills Hair Design

Two years ago, Micale and his wife, Ginny, moved from the glitz of Beverly Hills to Southwest Florida to be closer to family. Having cut and styled locks of movie stars such as Anne Meara, Casey Casem and Jim Carrey, Micale’s decision to open up shop on Sanibel also meant understanding the vast differences between West Coast and East Coast coiffure couture.

But recognizing the disparities and marketing his styling ideas to lure Sanibel’s year-round population are two of the reasons for the early success of Beverly Hills Hair Design. “Everything about my business on Sanibel has exceeded expectations,” he says.

Micale—a short, stout man whom people call “Little Joe”—has cultivated clients by welcoming the tourists and courting the locals with enthusiastic word of mouth and a Yellow Pages ad. While he specializes in custom fit hairpieces and wigs by varying textures, curl and as many as 23 colors, he’s seen less of an interest in hairpieces in Southwest Florida. It comprises 10 percent of his business here, compared to 35 percent in California.

Micale also has adapted to less interest in hair color for men. And he says he’s noticed fewer people coming to his salon for manicures and pedicures. In California, 80 percent of his female clients and 40 percent of his male clients routinely treated themselves to manicures and pedicures.

Another reason for his increasing clientele is Micale’s No. 1 business rule: never overlap customer appointments. With the client relaxing in a private room surrounded by natural light and mirrors, the first 15 minutes are devoted to asking and listening to the open-ended inquiry, “Tell me about your hair...” Before Micale escorts a customer to the shampoo bowl, he has a clear picture of how good they’ll look walking out the door. Each style is a work of art designed to flatter any face shape with the illusion of an oval look, says Micale, who typically spends one hour on each cut and two hours on a cut and color.

“My No. 1 client is the person sitting in my chair at that moment,” he says. “I consciously tell myself that today I am giving the best cut and color I’ve ever given you, even if you’ve been a client for 20 years.”

With that in mind, Micale is timely and honest about which shapes and tones will complement necklines and skin tone. He says he uses top-notch products, regularly attends industry seminars and adapts the latest techniques. He won’t color without a cut. He won’t color “gorgeous white hair that only God could turn out,” he says. And he’ll refer those who wish a more traditional shampoo and set to the salon’s other stylists.

Ask, and Micale—ever the purist—happily educates anyone on the wear and care of everyday hair. Early on, he rebelled against the hot curling, rolling, teasing, backcombing and pinning taught in beautician and barber schools. “You simply can’t wet and stretch and split hairs and expect them to look good,” he says.

Now with a loyal customer base, Micale is interested in hiring an additional stylist. He and former salon owners Joe and Anne Costanzo—who remain his landlords—recently worked through an 18-month transition period.

Micale admits he misses the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, where he kept shop for 30 years and was known for highlighting the wealth of light and color in celebrity hair. But he chokes up just thinking about his loyal Sanibel clients. “They appreciate everything so much it embarrasses me,” he says.

S. Alison Chabonais is a freelance business writer specializing in marketing communications.