With New Location, A New Look for Exit 32 Hair Salon

When owner Irene Shamalova was unable to renew the lease on her shop in Little Neck Plaza, the decades-old business may well have met its end. The space where her staff had long snipped, blow dried and dyed had been acquired by the owner of next door, who had plans to knock down a wall and expand.

But Shamalova got a break. The store a few doors down, located at 254-33 Horace Harding Expressway and most recently home to an Allstate Insurance agency, was up for grabs. When the mall's landlord offered her the space rent-free for three months, Shamalova saw the opportunity to design the salon she'd always wanted.

"Even people from outside knock on the window, and say it's great, it's beautiful," she said of the new location, which features shining marble floors, opal-colored walls and regal chandeliers winking elegantly from the ceiling. "I think it's going to bring in more customers and be more successful."

The salon officially opened its doors in mid-September, and Shamalova said she's already seen an increase in business. The lease is hers for the next 20 years, and Shamalova said this time, she has no plans to go anywhere.

"I'm still here," she said. "Why not?"