For such a busy hair salon, walking into H2GOA on Bloor Street is a particularly soothing experience. A crystal chandelier hangs in the middle of a cool tin ceiling, the brushed cement walls are a steely shade and the engineered hardwood flooring are a calming ash grey. Owner Hannah Hwang is particularly proud of the black tufted-back salon chairs with satin-finish silver arms she selected herself. In front of each chair is a ceiling-high mirror and a wooden ledge that runs almost the full length of the wall, brushes and product arranged on it for quick access.
The space was designed by Icon Architects Inc., a local Toronto firm, who told Hannah the renovations would be done July 28, 2014. A testament to her hardworking nature and determination, she insisted they finish before opening hours that day. She and her staff began moving in at seven o'clock in the morning and she greeted their first client at 10 am.
Hannah previously worked just up the street at Goa, a hair and beauty salon run by her mother-in-law, the woman who introduced her to the trade. She learned the family business by doing and in those early days she was particularly fearless — she would just grab the scissors and go.
“I couldn’t just sit and watch,” says Hannah. She says all that practice was instrumental to her success and helped her to discover just how much she enjoyed it.
