Location: Hoover, AL
Number of Stores: 1
Years in Business: 5
Owner: John Pidgeon
Staff : 7
Tanning Units: 12
Lotions: Devoted Creations / EdHardy/Designer Skin / Australian Gold/Supre / California Tan/Playboy / Hempz/Swedish Beauty / Hemp Nation / Amir / Norvell / Versa Spa
Software: Helios
Other Services: Mystic HD, Red-Light Therpay, Teeth Whitening and Body Wraps
Training: Sun is Life®
Distribution Partner: Four Seasons
Best-Selling Lotion: Camo Queen & Angel Moisturizer
Most Popular Package: Silver Tan Club
Getting into the tanning salon business was a good decision for John Pidgeon, owner of Sunset Tanning. He entered the industry in 2009 by partnering with Unique Tan. Their partnership ended in 2011. “We had two different ways of running the business,” he said, explaining that the business was experiencing financial difficulties at that time.
John took over the business management of Sunset Tanning in 2011 and focused on increasing the store’s profits. He is not physically present at his salon very much, spending most of his time running his other business, Steel Traders, which buys and sells steel. So he relies on the manager Mandy Dombrowski and his staff to oversee the daily operations while he handles the financials and other decision-making aspects of the business.
Sunset Tanning strives to keep on top of the industry by offering new products and equipment and providing an up-to-date tanning experience for each person who walks in the door. “I bought Sun Angel because no one else had it,” John said. “I wanted us to be different.” Another new service that is gaining popularity there is teeth whitening, he added.
Mandy Dombrowski has managed Sunset Tanning for three years and received certification through Sun Is Life® at an expo earlier this year. She found the training particularly beneficial concerning making medical claims about tanning and being careful of the way staff members respond to questions from guests so as not to overstate anything about the effects of tanning. “We’re not doctors,” Mandy commented. “There was good information about making claims.” She also enjoyed taking the airbrush certification class at the expo. She said she hopes to get the rest of the staff certified with Sun Is Life.
At Sunset Tanning, the staff is well-trained and knowledgeable about the salon’s varied products and service menu. “New employees do job-shadowing with me for a couple of weeks,” Mandy said. “We use the Four Seasons website too. We do carry a lot of products here.”
Mandy likes the salon’s close-knit atmosphere and believes that the great relationships between the staff and guests also keeps them coming back. “We’re family-oriented,” she said. “Everyone is really close here. We try to know everyone on a first-name basis. It definitely brings people back and we get referrals, too.”
The Silver Tan Club is an affordable and popular option for Sunset tanners. It includes free Beauty Angel red-light therapy sessions, $5-$8 sunbed upgrades, discounts on spray-tans, lotions and products and discounts on teeth-whitening. “They receive a huge discount on lotion when they join, or a free bottle to get them started,” Mandy explained.
What’s next for Sunset Tanning? John would like to open up a new store someday but currently has no future plans for that. If that opportunity comes, he said he wants it to be a high-quality place. Right now, he wants to keep building up the business as a whole. “I’m trying to make sure the store is profitable,” he said. “I’d like to expand. Every year, we’re more profitable. We’re definitely getting more Tan Club members, which is good and helps pay the bills every month.”
Maintaining a competitive edge and having well-trained, friendly staff are priorities for keeping customers returning to the salon. “I always get a lot of compliments on the store,” he said. ■
