Woburn Hairstylist, Laid Off In June, Starts Own Salon

WOBURN, MA — In June, Woburnite Bernadette Matthews and her friend Denise Tartarini were laid off by Hair Cuttery, which was bankrupt and closing all its New England locations.

On Nov. 3, they will open Top Knot Hair Salon, in Woburn's TradeCenter.

Matthews admits it's an unconventional move, amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and related business restrictions.

"It's absolutely crazy to be opening in the middle of the pandemic," she said.

But for Matthews and Tartarini, it was the only move, she said. Getting laid off in the middle of the pandemic put a bad taste in their mouths about working for chains. And each woman had spent at least a decade with Hair Cuttery, and both have run locations for the chain.

"I know how to run a profitable salon," Matthews explained. "I've done it for years."

When she was let go, Matthews put her resume up on Indeed, she said. But working in an office, when hair had been her whole life for years, wasn't very attractive, she said. Tartarini felt the same way, and what started as a joke idea quickly became reality.

They found the location quickly and broke ground in August on the new salon. The two women brought on five younger hair stylists who worked for them at the Burlington and Woburn Hair Cuttery salons and got a website and social media presence up. They have clientele already waiting for them to open, Matthews said.

"We're excited," Matthews said. "It just seems like the right decision."

As long as the city's reopening isn't reversed back to phase one, before salons opened, the new salon will open Nov. 3.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.