Brenna Swanson is owner and operator of the New Salon Blush that opened its doors February 1.Swanson offers all hair services, waxing, spray tans, regular and gel manicures and pedicures.
Blush is a focus salon for Paul Mitchell products which means she only sells Paul Mitchell hair products. She also is a distributor for Pink Pewter Hair accessories and carries jewelry made from
silverware from a shop called Spoon Full of Sugar. She encourages everyone in the community to stop in and see what is being offered in Blush.
The building, located on the main street of Diagonal, was purchased from Bill and Sandy Armstrong last April. Soon the building was totally gutted and a complete renovation was finished. Swanson credits most of the work to her dad, Ron Swanson, and her boyfriend, Brandon Robison, who is a carpenter/contractor.
A new cement floor was poured as well as the brick on some of the walls was exposed, whic was a huge job. Breanna helped hammer off several layers of plaster to get to the beautiful bricks.
New hair washing stations, a pedicure chair, a spray tan booth, and lots of unique displays of products and accessories make up the tastefully decorated, rustic style salon.
Swanson, a 2008 high school graduate of Mount Ayr, received her cosmetology certificate from Hair Tech of Creston. She then went to work in a salon in Corning whre she feels her experiences gave her the confidence and knowledge to go out on her own.
Swanson was fortunate enough to shadow a Paul Mitchell educator to many salons all over southwest Iowa. She was able to watch and listen as the salon owners were educated about the Paul Mitchell products. She even became a part of putting on model lessons for them.
Swanson said she has lived in Diagonal now for two years, and so it was only natural for her to want to open her salon here. As she has become more of a part of the community, she felt there was a need in the community that she could fulfill.
Where she came up with the name "Blush"? Swanson said it kind of represents her. She explained that "blush" is a big word in the beauty industry. It is a synonym for "color," plus it starts with a B, just like her name.
Photograph courtesy of Mount Ayr Record-News
Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, August of 2017
