New Luxury Hair Salon Opens In Downtown Greenwich

GREENWICH, CT — Davis Feliz has dreamt of owning his own hair salon for a long time, so much so that he even told his wife, Meagan, about it on their first date.

"He's always had [this] dream," Meagan Feliz said to Patch. "We've been thinking about it for about 10 years."

Now after more than 15 years of working with high-end and celebrity clientele in Manhattan and Greenwich, her husband has finally seen his dream become reality.

Located "in the heart of downtown Greenwich," Davis Feliz Salon officially opened June 2 on Lewis Court. (To sign up for Greenwich breaking news alerts and more, click here.)

According to Meagan Feliz, who co-owns the salon with her husband, their new business has been running smoothly all summer despite challenges caused by the coronavirus, also referred to as COVID-19.

"It's going really well," Meagan Feliz said. "Even in the middle of COVID-19 we were able to get policies in place and make sure everything was extra clean, even though we would have done all of that anyway. It's been a great start for us."

The couple's full service hair salon not only offers customers haircuts, but also hair coloring and keratin treatments, among other services. They also strive to make sure each customer feels important and valued for who they are.

"We're a service-based industry," Meagan Feliz said, "so we want to make sure when people come in, they feel like an individual and not like a number in a sea of clients...that's something we really strive for."

The opportunity to open up shop came when Davis Feliz learned his previous employer, Frederic Fekkai in Greenwich, was closing. In light of this, the couple decided it was finally time to open their own place.

Unfortunately, things got a little more complicated in March.

"All of a sudden COVID-19 hit, and we thought all of our dreams had gone away," Meagan Feliz said, "but then everything came together last minute, and we were able to secure a lease in the exact same location as Fekkai, so [Davis] didn't even have to move locations. Everything miraculously came together."

In addition to being able to keep his existing Fekkai clientele, the location came with other benefits.

"[The location] couldn't have been more perfect for us," Meagan Feliz said. "He definitely likes the high-end luxury type of environment, and that kind of equates to this area of Greenwich."

They also were happy to stay in the area, which the couple has come to appreciate over the years.

"Greenwich has that community feel to it, especially here in the downtown area," Meagan Feliz said. "People work together, there's a holiday stroll; last Halloween I brought my kids trick-or-treating down the avenue. Things like that make it extra special."

Though business has been smooth, the salon has still grappled with some challenges caused by the coronavirus, including staffing.

"We are at 50 percent capacity, so we actually are at the point where we can't hire any more [employees]," Meagan Feliz said. "We would love to expand our team a little bit, but it's just not feasible at this time with COVID-19 and all the restrictions in place and social distancing, so that definitely has been a challenge."

Making clients feel comfortable to come into the salon is also still a slight issue, she said.

"The good thing," Meagan Feliz said, "is so far every person that has come in has said they felt safer here than anywhere else."

While opening the salon came with its struggles, the couple has managed to push through, something she attributes to their spiritual beliefs.

“We're both Christians, and we really just felt like this is what God wanted us to do," Meagan Feliz said, "so we kept saying it was going to happen and then all of a sudden one day...everything fell into place."

She also gives credit to her husband's tenacity and his drive to succeed.

"He's always aimed to excel, which is how I think he arrived where he is now," Meagan Feliz said. "One of his passions is education within his industry, so he never stops learning, which is one of the things I admire about him from a wife standpoint. He's continuously trying to grow, which is something I think you have to do in this particular market, otherwise you fall flat."

Further information about Davis Feliz and his new business can be found at the salon's website.