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'This has always been the dream'

'Ever since hair school, the dream was to eventually have my own salon...It’s always been the dream, you just never know when'
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Alice Addams has opened her own place as Rogue Alchemy Beauty Lounge at 466 First Ave W. Photo by Ryen Veldhuis.

It’s a big step making the decision to take your future into your own hands, and while hairstylist Alice Addams is familiar with building her own reputation, it was a whole other challenge for her to make the decision to open her own salon: Rogue Alchemy Beauty Salon.

“Ever since hair school, the dream was to eventually have my own salon,” she said. “It’s always been the dream, you just never know when. My dad sort of said ‘no time is the right time to open a business.’ You can make excuses as far as priorities go, but sometimes you have to act.”

And those times it’s out of our control when these big decisions are made and it’s more about seizing the opportunity to take charge of our own fate.

It was so with Alice.

“I had told myself I wanted to be married, have a house, and all these things,” she said. “But when opportunity knocks you have to jump to it!”

It wasn’t too long ago Alice was meeting with a mentor of hers from school—somebody who’s constantly pushing her out of her comfort zone, constantly pushing her abilities further. While meeting, her mentor challenged her to look at several commercial locations even if she wasn’t committing to them, but to take on the process of having an eye for a potential salon.

And that’s when the opportunity came.

Alice found a place at 466 First Avenue West.  and everything clicked at once. She fell in love with the location and everything came together faster than she could have believed.

“There was definitely a part of me thinking if I was absolutely nuts thinking about this right now,” she explained. “Was this too much too soon? I’ve only been in North Bay about a year and a half, but then when I had really thought about it, I had worked my butt off to get this beautiful group of loyal and creative people following me.”

As for the name, Alice wanted a name that embodied her thoughts on aesthetics in her business: rogue and alchemical—which to her means to be wild, authentic, creative, no matter how different their style may be, while also exploring the magical process of transformation in her salon.

And while she is but one stylist, Rogue Alchemy is starting off with two chairs (one for Alice and one for a lucky and talented stylist to work with her) as well as a backroom for an esthetician who does nail service, waxing, lash extension, manicures, and pedicures—a position recently filled by Emily Fleet.

“It’s been a real personal journey for me so far,” Alice said. “There have been challenges, yeah, but I’m really looking forward to more and seeing myself grow through this.”

Since Alice has expressed her decision, she’s been surrounded by unending support from friends, family, clients, and fellow businesses in town hoping the best for her in her venture.

“The amount of love and support I’ve felt has been overwhelming,” she said. “I feel like if ever there were any doubts they’ve gone away, everything is as it’s supposed to be. This is what I was meant to do and I’m living the dream!”


Ryen Veldhuis

About the Author: Ryen Veldhuis

Writer. Photographer. Adventurer. An avid cyclist, you can probably spot him pedaling away around town.
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