Peter Liu is a man on a mission.
The co-owner of the new SZ Styling hair salon at 311 West Beaver Avenue wants to bring “a fresh idea of fashion and beauty” to State College.
And to accomplish that goal, Liu has done everything from personally recruiting professional stylists from New York City to installing his own wiring to get his store ready to open.
Why did Liu go through so much trouble? Because he believes in the talents of his employees, and he believes helping people express themselves through their own individual style is an important cause.
“It’s like when you wear a suit to a job interview; it’s a respect for other people,” Liu says. “It can help you gain self-confidence. It’s a very human thing. If you go to a party, you want to look sharp.”
Liu says part of the reason he opened his salon was because there wasn’t a salon that catered to the large Asian population in State College. After all, he points out that Asian men are more likely to have a stylish coiffure, while men from some other cultures tend to prefer a short and simple style.
But he’s also quick to stress that SZ Styling is in absolutely no way only for Asian people. His salon is open to anyone who wants to reinvent their look, regardless of race or anything else.
And he promises that if someone walks into SZ Styling, then they’re going to walk out looking sharp. Each stylist at the salon was personally recruited by Liu to come work for him in State College.
Over the past two years, Liu would take trips up to New York City and visit different salons to find talented stylists. But Liu wouldn’t ask for a resume; he’d ask for a haircut, using his own hair as a test run for any potential employee.
Granted, he did have some difficulty convincing some of the stylists to hear him out. He was asking them to drive four hours to visit a small town to possibly work at a salon that wasn’t even open yet, after all. But the stylists that work with him now are now here because they fell in love with State College, because they believed in Liu’s vision, and because they each personally helped get the salon ready to open.
But just because SZ Styling is finally open doesn’t mean the work is done. Liu says he wants his salon to evolve and grow with his customers, for his stylists to be constantly sharpening their skills and learning new styles.
“Salons don’t just cut hair, they bring beauty to people,” Liu says. “… And my stylists don’t just cut hair. They will design a style just for you.”
SZ Styling may have New York-bred talent, but Liu says that doesn’t mean a cut or color is going to cost New York-level prices. He says prices start around $20 to $25 dollars, much like other local salons, because he thinks beauty should belong to everyone — regardless of their price range. For a limited time, SZ Salon is even offering $15 hairs cuts for men, as well as 20 percent off most other services.
“People are always afraid to try something new,” Liu says. “But we will give them a look that’s full of spirit and energy.”
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