Salon Novo Pitches in Sales for Japanese Earthquake Aid

When John and Andria Falcon woke up last Friday morning, the day seemed lovely.

Then the co-owners got a frenetic text-message from Andria's mother: "Are you safe from the tsunami?"

The recently moved couple hadn't hooked up their cable or internet, and hadn't heard about 8.9-magnitude earthquake that of Friday morning - causing thousands of deaths and massive structural damage to the country, along with .

"We were like, uh 'what tsunami?'," says John Falcon. "We had no idea what was going on, our cell phones didn't have enough information," says John Falcon, "We were sort of freaked out."

They pulled their daughter out of school for the day, until the news settled down. Then, they developed a plan.

Until the end of April Salon Novo will donate 10 percent of all gross sales - plus one $75 haircut per week - to the American Red Cross, to help fund aid and rebuilding costs for Japan. In addition, the Falcons are donating the Salon's entire comission from their two independent stylists, and they're organizing a haircut-a-thon fundraising event

It's more than pocket change for the newbie Salon, which first opened its .

But the Valley's been good to the enterprising couple, says Falcon, and all of the Salon's employees are eager to pitch-in.

"A lot of people think about [tragedy], but they don't want to think about it, so they go on with their own lives," said Falcon. "If it were us in Japan, we would want someone to help us."

But, if you don't need a haircut immediately, the donation-deal extends to Salon Novo's roster of eco-friendly shampoos, hairspray, and even locally made Sonoma Olive Oil soap ("It feels like olive oil on your skin," says Falcon).

The Salon is hoping that the donation has a pay-it-forward style ripple effect.

"You have a number and you thing it's a small number, but other people jump in and it becomes bigger," says Falcon.

Salon Novo, 631 First Street West, Suite A, is open by appointment, Tuesday - Saturday, 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. (707) 703-9357