Hair Salon Rises from the Ashes of Three Alarm Fire

A month and a half ago Melanie Guarino stood in a smoke-filled street watching her business go up in flames, but these days she is back in business just down Main Street.

With tears streaming down her face, Guarino said she was determined to get her business started again.

"I was sitting there thinking thinking 'What am I going to do tomorrow,'" Guarino said. "It goes to show you have to live every day to the fullest." 

The next day she headed to the hair supply shop and bought a pair of scissors and clippers, because everything else was gone. She and her co-worker Patty Maher did some house calls, but they needed a place to set up shop.

"A lot of local salons wrote to us when they heard and offered space," Guarino said. "But we have a lot of walk in clients and I didn't want to lose them."

Soon she found a spot in Raymar Day Spa, 389 Main St., just a long blocks from the old space.

"Most of our clients have found us," Guarino said. "Patty and I both grew up in Watertown so people know through word of mouth. We also put up signs in stores like Joe's Variety and Metro Mart."

Not much remains at the old location of Guy's Salon. 

"Firefighters and police were excellent helping me save items, but most of it had be trashed," said Guarino, who not only lost items from her salon, but also personal photo albums her mother had given her.

One item that survive, almost untouched, was a painting that hung in Guy's when it was run by the original owner, Guy. 

"There was a lot of water damage but this was not effected," Maher said. "It was pretty much the only thing that survived."

The painting shows a barber cutting a customer's hair. While the man painted is not Guy, Guarino said in the background there are mugs with the initials of Guy's real customers.

Guarino took over the Salon about a dozen years ago from the founder.

"I bought it from Guy in his living room," Guarino said. "All the males in my family went to him. My father worked for the DPW and my uncle worked for the police." 

Four businesses made their homes in the building on Main Street that fire gutted on Feb. 26. Inner Strength Yoga Studio reopened last week, having only suffered smoke damage. Two others have moved out of town. Lony's Nails is nearby on Watertown Street in Newton. Guarino said she has heard Pan World Insurance also moved to Newton.

Guarino said she is not certain, but if it works out her new location at Raymar will become a permanent location.

"We hope it works out here so we can stay," Guarino said.