A little West Coast in the Central West End

After years of touring the world, taming the manes of stars, St. Louis-born hairstylist Jeffrey Houston went on a hair hiatus. Now, Houston is back at home and back in business. At his new Central West End haunt, Hair Factor, Houston brightens his Midwestern roots with an unconventional business model and a touch of West Coast style.

Though Houston was raised in St. Louis, his 24-year career as a professional stylist started in Oakland. He earned a stylist’s license from the city’s Institute of Cosmetology and soon after acquired his own shop, The Ritz. Before topping Billboard charts with her group, En Vogue, singer Maxine Jones braided hair at The Ritz. With time En Vogue, B Angie B, Angela Bofield and MC Hammer would all flock to The Ritz to get their ‘do’s done.

Thanks to En Vogue and their showbiz buddies, Houston’s reputation grew and business boomed. He landed contracts with Capitol Records and Busted Records to style artists such as After 7, Stephanie Mills and Johnny Gill while on tour.

“I’ve been to Europe twice and on national tour three times,” Houston said of his traveling days. He opened two more shops: a second The Ritz and The Ritz Phase II. Seventeen years of shop-keeping and city-hopping passed before burnout put Houston’s hectic lifestyle to an end. He closed the salons and moved away. After three years in Las Vegas, Houston came home.

By 2002, Houston was back in the Lou. But, instead of rebuilding The Ritz empire, the 20-year hairstyling veteran rented a booth. Within a year, however, the entrepreneurial bug had bit Houston again, and he partnered with Sandy Fountain, the owner of Sandy’s Day Spa. The partnership, which Houston calls a “two-year love affair,” ended in 2004. In December of the same year, the Hair Factor opened for business.

It’s the first time he has built a business from scratch. Boasting a brick facade and two picture windows, Hair Factor looks like a turn-of-the-century barbershop on the outside. But when Houston purchased the building, inside was a gutted mess. With the help of a coworker, Houston turned the promising space into a coiffeur’s dream. Today, track lighting illuminates Hair Factor’s simple, sunny décor, embellished with oversized mirrors and dark wood accents.

A serene atmosphere complements Hair Factor’s stylish surroundings. Houston attributes the salon’s oasis ambience to its experienced staff. The shop’s four stylists have as much tonsorial talent and business savvy as the owner.

“That’s probably the most unique thing about this,” said Houston. “We’ve all owned a salon.”

Houston minimizes headaches by maximizing his employees’ autonomy. “Everybody is kind of responsible for themselves,” said Houston. The arrangement promotes a co-op mentality. “I know I am the owner,” Houston said, “but this belongs to all of us.”

More than a hundred clients per week partake of the salon’s services estimates Houston. Hair Factor entertains many “high-end representatives of St. Louis,” said Houston, among them judges, attorneys and KMOV Channel 4 news anchor, Vickie Newton.

Even not-so-famous clients, however, can expect star treatment at Hair Factor. Along with the standard haircuts, weaves, pedicures, manicures and waxing, customers will enjoy atypical salon amenities such as a coat check service and a short wait, if any, said Houston, thanks to an in-house receptionist. Hair Factor’s most appealing luxury, however, is its commitment to clients, said Houston: “[Hair Factor’s clients] know that we care about each other and that we care about them.”

Hair Factor is located at 350 North Boyle in the Central West End and open Wednesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m . Call 531-4247.