There was cause for celebration on Carew Street as community members gathered at the Three Sisters Salon & Spa Wednesday.
Over 20 years after setting up shop, the salon celebrated the grand opening of its spa section this week, dubbed “The Grace of Beauty Spa,” and sporting three massage rooms and creating at least six jobs, according to officials.
First opening in 2001, the business is owned by Ana Terrero, who came to Springfield from the Dominican Republic 24 years ago and pursued her dream of running a salon and spa, she said.
“It was a dream come true. When she came here, she wanted to open up a salon and then a spa. It took her years, but she was able to open up the spa now [after] 20 years…” said State Representative Carlos Gonzalez, translating for Terrero.
Calling Wednesday’s celebration a “tribute to what the immigrant community has been able to do”, Gonzalez highlighted how in addition to her own work, grants also helped support Terrero’s venture.
“We were able to get her $20,000 - direct from the ARPA funds from the state, not through the city program, but through the state program,” Gonzalez said during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “This helped them sustain themselves during the pandemic, and then be able to now come and open up another business.”
Gonzalez told WAMC the funding helped Terrero keep her employees paid during the pandemic and its related restrictions. He added that, coincidentally, the New Homes Realty Group office across the street also benefited from the pandemic-related grants in the same way.
Founder and Director of the Latino Economic Development Corporation Andrew Melendez says businesses like Terrero’s make up a significant part of the city’s economy.
He added his organization has also lent support to the salon over the years.
“When we first were introduced Ana - we are a word of mouth kind of company, somebody that says, ‘Hey, call the Latino EDC, talk to Gabriella, talk to Andrew, see what they can do for you,” he said. “The owner did a 10-week course, we've been coaching along the way, a mini-grant along the way."
Melendez says when it comes to assisting businesses like Terrero’s, there are no cookie-cutter methods, and that milestones like Wednesday’s are worth celebrating.
“The more that we are building communities together, and people are celebrating these successes - creating jobs and creating the economy and being a part of the tax base … from immigrant to learning English, then to being a business owner and then having a second business? this is the American way,” he added.
The LEDC plans on announcing a new round of grants for local businesses in the near-future.
Melendez previously said the mini-grants awarded through LEDC range from $1,000 to $10,000. He described the program while before the Springfield City Council in July, as the council authorized some $500,000 going to the LEDC, awarded by the state via funds earmarked in the 2022 Economic Development Bill.
