Farewell River Market...

Laura and I the night she showed me her new salon and the new home of RR RM for the first time. October 2020

I’ve known for at least 18 months that this day was coming and I can’t believe it’s here. After three years we are bidding farewell to RR River Market to prepare ourselves and the business to head into new markets in the coming years. While it’s a very exciting time for me and my hopes and dreams for the business, it’s also incredibly bittersweet.

In 2020 my beautiful friend and hair stylist, Laurabeth Cabbot, decided to make the leap from salon suite renter to salon owner opening her first salon, Artistry by LB, in January 2021. As I mentored her through that process, we decided it was a good time for us to expand the RR footprint in KC, too, so collaborative talks began with LB and before I knew it…RR RM was born.

On the heels of a worldwide pandemic, we ventured into uncharted territory and gave it a go at a second location. I have been happy with the results of the endeavor and our ability to grow a second location in a market outside of Johnson County. It has also made me realize that we can be incredibly successful and grow RR into a multi-location sunless powerhouse in the KC metro…if I decide that’s really what I desire for the future of the business and my life.

Along with all of the good has come some limitations, though, too. Running a spray tanning business inside someone else’s space is next to impossible when you do the number of tans that we do. Our service requires tight control of environmental factors like heating, cooling and humidity. Being on the top floor of a building built in the 1800’s and inside a space where we control none of those factors has been beyond challenging for us. Throw in parking issues, constant construction downtown, lack of a sufficient water supply for our cleaning purposes and a dozen other ongoing headaches and it became evident that this just wasn’t the right spot for us.

That said…none of this is Laura’s fault. I am forever grateful for the three years we’ve spent occupying the same space and for her hospitality toward not just me but also our staff and clients. Her crew of stylists are not only top notch stylists…they’re top notch PEOPLE and to be associated with them is nothing but a blessing. I will miss our camaraderie, but I look forward to continuing to see them all at my monthly hair appointments because I’m never giving LB up!

So, for at least the first half of 2024 it looks like RR will go back to our single flagship studio in Olathe while we look for our next perfect spot. We’ve thought we’ve found it twice already…and both times lease negotiations fell through. 2024 will mark 13 years of RR and if I have learned anything in that time it’s to not force things…so I’m taking this as my hint to step back and settle and then reevaluate mid-2024.

My sincerest thanks goes to everyone who has visited RR RM and helped us grow it into what it has become. KCMO has been good to us and we are forever grateful. We know that west Olathe isn’t the most convenient location for a lot of you, but we hope you will continue to visit us there while we figure out where we can land next.

And thank you, LB, for being an incredible friend and collaborator. I am so very proud of you and will forever be on the sidelines cheering you on and helping you grow. You deserve all good and beautiful things. I love you!

Thanks for the memories and lessons! RR RM’s last day of operations will be Thursday, December 28.