cry might be for visibility, visibility, visibility.
Two Beachwood institutions possess the
former without the latter, and despite this dis-
advantage, along with little foot traffic and no
signage due to zoning restrictions, they have
succeeded for decades across the hall from
each other in the Chagrin Richmond Plaza.
of Cuyahoga's County's busiest intersections
at Chagrin Boulevard and Richmond Road.
Built in 1969, the structure is filled primarily
with professional service businesses, but it
also houses two remarkably long-time and
legendary tenants in highly competitive in-
dustries Ristorante Giovanni's and Alfredo's
Hair Salon, making good on their leases for a
combined 80 years. Defying most longevity
standards, the owners reveal here how times
have changed, and how they have survived
and thrived in Beachwood.
a $20,000 investment in Russell's, a three-
year-old salon in the spot he now occupies in
the Chagrin Richmond Plaza. But even at that
young age, he was no stranger to the hair-care
business. Beginning at age 10, he worked in
his cousin's salon, shampooing women's hair.
School. At 16 ½, he was eligible to take the
state licensing board test and passed. Then
he bought his first salon for $10,000 in Euclid,
and ran it for two years. At that point, he
wanted to travel the country, so he bought a
Winnebago and hit the road for six months
with three friends.
and after three months, his cousin there
wanted him to open a salon in Rome. Alfredo
told his father back in Cleveland, to which he
was instructed: "Get your a-- back home!" So
Alfredo did just that.
had been hanging out at the popular disco,
occupied by Giovanni's. Don King, owner of
the club and president of King Properties, the
party responsible for developing the build-
ing, gave Alfredo prophetic advice. "You need
to be here," he said.
road. Our Gang restaurant was a truck stop
in the space now occupied by Yours Truly
on Chagrin. A chunk of land not far down
the street on Richmond was home to a spot
where model airplane hobbyists flew their
craft. And across from that location was a U.S.
home to Eaton Corporation.
Despite the lack of commercial density,
marketing and social muscle. He advertised
in Cableviews magazine (the local television
bible) and introduced himself to people ev-
erywhere, but especially to those at the Touch
of Class club.
the mid `80s. He later scrapped the spa and
used the private space for services that in-
cluded hair extensions, wigs and hair pieces.
He tended to 20-30 clients daily, every 15
minutes, from early in the morning until late
at night. Saturdays could total 40 clients. He
kept up that pace for 15 years.
He still retains a dependably positive
role player for his many clients. He smiles
frequently, speaks with candor and calm,
and is genuinely interested in other people's
issues. Also, he sports a high/low style, with
dapper sport coats paired with jeans and
athletic shoes.
skills draw a range of people from all over
town, and they often share as much with him
as they would a psychologist, sometimes
more than he says he wants to know. He un-
derstands, though, that styling people's hair
and touching them for extended periods of
time breeds familiarity and comfort.
some degree of cross-pollination. Also, foot
traffic from other tenants helps. But many
years ago, a request came out of nowhere.
He received a call from the management
of entertainer Prince when he was in town
to perform. His crew wanted to borrow the
salon after hours for a styling session in
complete privacy. Alfredo gladly left the salon
unlocked, and they took care of business. The
crew returned the favor by leaving auto-
graphed pictures and other gifts.
man held several people hostage in his space.
The stand-off lasted 11 hours, involving
numerous Beachwood policemen and SWAT
team members. Alfredo was instrumental in
helping the police, at their request, by design-
ing a replica of the salon space in the parking
lot, using masking tape, to better plan for
saving the hostages. Eventually, entry was
achieved when the police smashed the front
doors and launched smoke and concussion
(aka percussion) grenades.
age amounted to $50,000, mostly addressed
by insurance but it was a serious setback
professionally.
in 2003 and located in the U.S. Bank building
on the corner of Mercantile and Chagrin, but
due to conflicts with his business partner, the
salon closed after a year and a half.
Right now though, he still loves going to work,
a short commute from his home in Twinsburg.
He enjoys how every day is different, and he
continues to look forward to each client. He
says that people often wonder how he remem-
bers the details in their lives. "There's only one
you," he replies. And Alfredo's salon remains a
singular sensation, as well.
the restaurant business. Although retirement
might seem like the next logical step, he
wants to know why he should stop now. "So I
can do the Facebook thing?"
is more interested in emulating his mother
who worked in the restaurant business until
she was 94, then died when she was 99. "I
like to accomplish things," says the reserved,
both of mind and spirit, seem to compel him
forward as well.
which he ran for 20 years. He added Trescalini
next door where everything was cooked
tableside ("too complicated I don't do that
anymore"). In 1976, when the club A Touch of
Class was for sale in the Chagrin Richmond
Plaza, he bought it and shut it down so he
could open Giovanni's. "It was busy from the
first day we opened."
brought lots of acts to town, and after their
shows, many dropped in to Giovanni's. Carl
rattles off names of guests including Sammy
Davis, Dinah Shore, Bob Hope, Mickey
Rooney, Phyllis Diller, Engelbert Humper-
dinck, Pat Boone, Shirley MacLaine, Florence
Henderson, among plenty of others. This was
back when the restaurant was still filling up
at 12:30 a.m., reservations were booked until
10:30 p.m., and men dressed in jackets.
ni's remains in operation. To do so, he stresses
the importance of change, especially in the
restaurant business. "You need to keep evolv-
ing or you will die." In 2000, he closed the restau-
rant for six weeks to remodel it; then three
years ago, he undertook a 16-day remodeling,