Small Wonder - A cozy Seattle salon counts careful growth as key to quality work and superior customer service.

Skip the super-size. Junk the jumbo. And kiss the grande goodbye. Steven Cordel believes that pretty equals petite-at least when it comes to salon size.

"There is a huge need for small, high-end salons to compete against the large chains that have lost customer service," says Cordel, owner of Steven Cole Salon in Seattle's laidback but style-conscious Greenwood neighborhood.

Cordel, whose salon celebrates its second year this month, has truly come full circle in the industry. A native of the city, he graduated from beauty school in the early '80s and received his advanced training at the well-known Gene Juarez salon. He stayed with the salon, working there off and on for 15 years, before moving to another high-end salon in California. He later returned to his home city for another stint at Gene Juarez before opening his new business.

Inside Out

Steven Cole is truly a reflection of its owner. The name, a combination of first names from Cordel and his son, announces the character of the business from the very beginning. It's my personality from the top down," When your salon is small, you can control what it is."

And keeping control is the cornerstone of success, according to Cordel's philosophy. He wants his services to be affordable to the middle class, so the salon won't allow costs to spiral out of orbit. And because it is important to him that the expected level of service is always delivered, he's very picky about who he hires.

"We had some challenges finding the right people initially," admits Cordel. "It's very hard. But now I have five excellent people working with me."

Cordel requires all new hires to already have advanced education under their belts and attend frequent courses. Its practices such as those that helped his salon get selected by Bumble and bumble as one of only eight in the country to introduce it new conditioning product this month. It also won him recognition as one of "The Best Hair Salons" by Seattle magazine in April (2004). For next year, Cordel is planning to go one better and start his own apprentice program to help develop young talent.

Forward Thinking

Cordel's artistic personality is also evident in the salon décor. "It's rich wood and color," he says. "It's exposed industrial, but very modern." Nearly all of the equipment was bought from a salon that shut down on the other side of town, which Cordel and his wife refurbished for added character in the salon.

Even details like moldings and specialized lighting are not overlooked. And a soft, bright red couch in the lobby is the centerpiece for clients and staff to gather and relax. Not even a client's mischievous child, who recently drew all over the expensive couch with a marker, can sink Cordel's spirit. "We just cleaned it off with soap and water," he says.

Cordel's entrepreneurial agenda is gathering steam, as he prepares marketing programs for the next year and further refines his business model. For one thing, he plans for his salon to slowly grow into skin care, adding waxing and facials next year. And he foresees expanding his staff, although he says anything more than 10 to 15 people would be too much.

But don't think Steven Cole is going to stagnate. Down the road, says Cordel, he may open another location. Of course, this one will stay true to the original scaled-down-to-size design. He explains, "We all like that small town feel, where everybody knows everybody."