In June of 1973, beautician Michael Mazzei opened Best & Co., a combined salon and clothing store, at 1482 Northern Boulevard in Manhasset, to plant his flag in the burgeoning Miracle Mile shopping district.
As the years passed, Mazzei abandoned the clothing idea, as the constant restocking of inventory made the venture too complicated and expensive to maintain, but he did not compromise his dream of providing a one-stop shop for top-of-the-line beauty services.
Instead, the salon evolved, as hair coloring, nail and make-up services were added, in addition to a separate fitness facility and health food boutique on the premises, but the shop’s biggest facelift was its name, as Best & Co. eventually gave way to nuBest Salon and Spa.
It is because of his desire to innovate and improve his facility, Mazzei said, that nuBest celebrates its 40th anniversary this month.
“You have to be creative on a continuing basis,” Mazzei said. “You have to be in it to win it. Change is about finding what’s next and not just staying with the same thing. You need everything, all of the above.”
The 20,000 square-foot salon staffs 125 beauty professionals, including Mazzei’s son Jamie, the salon’s creative director, and nephews Vincent Mazzei and Christian Fieres, who serve as a creative director and artistic director, respectively.
“There’s nothing here that we don’t have,” Michael Massei said. “The experience has got to be special.”
Mazzei has styled hair for models that have appeared in Vogue magazine, Mademoiselle magazine, Marie Claire Magazine and the New York Times, and a nuBest spokesman said the salon was featured in an episode of the new Bravo reality television series “Princesses Long Island” and recently commissioned an exhibition for celebrity fashion photographer Mike Ruiz.
The salon’s spokesman also said a small celebration in commemoration of the anniversary is planned for June 22, in which Mazzei will cater breakfast, lunch and dinner for employees and customers, and offer complimentary cupcakes bearing the salon’s logo have been served to the shop’s patrons.
