STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Even though she recently obtained her cosmetology license, Annie Pena, 28, has been cutting and styling friends’ and family members’ hair since she was 10-years-old.
“I have been doing my mom’s and my grandmother’s highlights since I was 10-years-old,” she said.
Describing her style as “messy boho chic,” she launched her own business in February soon after graduating cosmetology school at Brittney Academy in Brooklyn.
See inside Dusty Rose Studio at Sola Salons. Pictured is the owner, Annie Pena. (Tracey Porpora/Staten islan Advance_
With a focus on hair extensions and braids -- as well as applying permanent make-up -- Pena, took a studio in Sola Salons, which is a franchise that includes 29 individual studios, recently opened in Port Richmond.
And she hasn’t looked back.
Named “Dusty Rose” after Pena acquired a rose colored bench that sits in her studio, she said the name “just fit.” Her friend, Gina Moltisanti helped design her studio in shades of rose with accents of black and grey tones.
“We based everything off that little bench. Plus, I have pink hair, and it just worked,” said Pena.
See inside Dusty Rose Studio at Sola Salons. Pictured is the owner, Annie Pena. (Tracey Porpora/Staten islan Advance_
FUTURE GOALS
In the future, Pena hopes to become an “extension-only salon,” as she feels the hair industry is putting more of a focus on these products.
“I definitely want to expand and within the next five years have two other people working with me in an extension-only salon,” said Pena.
“Putting in extensions is therapy for me. I get into a zone,” she added.
Pena only uses Habit extensions, which are a brand that doesn’t use heat or glue, she said.
“The extensions I put on are a press on bead. Everything is stitched onto your own hair. I focus on healthier extensions,” said Pena. "The great thing about these extensions is you can put them up in a ponytail, and you don’t see the hair coming out.
In addition to hair cutting, styling and extensions, Pena’s permanent make-up services include those that accentuate eyebrows and lips. And she also applies permanent eyeliner.
DUSTY ROSE STUDIO AT A GLANCE
Website: https://dustyrosestudio.glossgenius.com/
Instagram: https://picgra.com/user/dustyrose_studio/9615502168
New Businesses in Focus is a weekly column that relates the stories of new Staten Island businesses owners.
If you have a new business on Staten Island, e-mail porpora@siadvance.com.
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