Hair salon brings city-feel to Great Neck

Joe Nikic

Sebastien Ayache, the owner of Salon De Quartier in the Village of Great Neck, said he decided to open a store in Great Neck because the area lacked a trendy hair salon that would attract young customers.

“I think that in Great Neck there was a need for a new type of salon, especially for a younger crowd,” Ayache said. “That’s why I said ‘you know what, let’s try it.’”

Salon De Quartier, located at 620A Middle Neck Road, held a grand opening party last Wednesday to welcome the community and open its doors for potential customers to get a feel for the salon.

Ayache moved to the United States from France 18 years ago.

He said he originally opened hair salons under the Salon De Quartier name in Manhattan over 15 years ago.

At first SDQ opened as a pop-up shop, Ayache said, but because it was  successful he decided to expand.

SDQ’s Great Neck location opened for business officially in February.

Ayache said he has been surprised with the success the hair salon has had in the first four months of operation.

“People are happy,” he said. “Every time they come, they say they have the feeling of the city.”

Ayache, who has lived in Great Neck for the past five years, said that while the business can serve people of all ages,  a majority of his customers are in their 30s and 40s.

The inside of the store is decorated with dangling lights, salon chairs and mirrors and shelves with the various products that the salon sells.

Vintage French newspapers ornament the walls of the salon, something Ayache said he does at all of his SDQ locations.

“It’s not a salon for everyone, the layout for certain people is, maybe, unfinished,” he said. “But for others it’s trendy.”

Ayache said his goal when he arrived in America was to integrate the services of French hair salon into a new culture.

“I’m trying to bring this French culture of a hair salon business and so far it’s working very well,” he said.

 Mayor Pedram Bral gave Ayache a proclamation from the village for the store’s official opening at last Wednesday’s party.

Bral said he was happy with SDQ’s  success. He said the store’s opening is part of the village’s goal of reinvigorating business on Middle Neck Road “one store at a time.”

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