Gold Winner Thumpers Salon
Silver Winner Spirit Spa
Bronze Winner Jay Wells Salon
“It’s very exciting to win eight years in a row,” says Thumpers owner Malcolm Norton, although he admits the pressure to stay on top is “hanging over my head.” Knowing this industry veteran---Norton is president of the Cosmetology Association of Nova Scotia---the pressure will only add to his personal motivation to keep Thumpers sharp. As one voter commented about the salon, “everyone looks great walkin’ out of there.” Thumpers does that by having “a really clearly defined culture,” says Norton. “It’s about the hair for us.” An example of that hair culture is Thumpers’ finishing program for new stylists: Any hair school graduate who gets a job at Thumpers spends several weeks being mentored by the salon’s experienced stylists before being allowed to cut a client’s hair. “To bring people into our way of doing things,” says Norton. “It’s expensive for us, but it works in the long run.”