Sister stylists honored: Salon owners are Seaford Chamber’s 2021 Businesspeople of the Year

Seaford-based hair stylists and sisters Nicole Consi and Laura Giacalone, who co-own LaCole Salon, have been named the 2021 Businesspeople of the Year by the Seaford Chamber of Commerce.

The pair received the award on Oct. 29, at the Nassau County Council of Chambers’ annual awards breakfast.

“We are beyond grateful to receive this award,” Consi said. “It is very humbling that the people of the Seaford community would acknowledge us and respect us in this way.”

LaCole Salon has been a fixture in the community since it opened as a salon and spa in February 2009, later downsizing to a hair salon. It was located at 3962 Merrick Road for the first nine years, but in 2018 it moved one block west to its current location, 3936 Merrick Road.

Consi and Giacalone grew up in Plainedge, just north of Seaford, and have always been familiar with the Seaford community. They said they always wanted to open a business on Merrick Road. “We love the community of Seaford,” Consi said. “The people here have been so great to us, and that’s why when we moved. Our goal was to stay in Seaford. We didn’t want to lose our amazing clients.”

The salon supports a number of meaningful causes. LaCole works with Seaford High School on a Career Development Program that helps disabled students gain career experience by working at the salon. “We fell in love with the students we work with,” said Giacalone, “and we’re so grateful to be able to teach them about work ethic and help prepare them for their adult lives.”

The salon has also hosted fundraisers for Crohn’s disease, through the “Take Steps” Crohn’s Colitis Foundation; domestic adoptions, with help from Mommy’s Angels, which works with families looking to adopt; and Hurricane Sandy victims, in 2012. LaCole collected donated clothing for storm victims.

LaCole has hosted various breast cancer fundraising events over the years as well, including an annual event each October, when clients sport pink hair extensions. And every year at Christmas, the salon takes part in the Angel Tree Program, in which staffers buy, wrap and deliver gifts to foster children in need.

“We’ve [distributed] bicycles, clothing, toys, jackets … and seeing the looks on the children’s faces while opening their gifts is so rewarding,” Consi said. “It makes it all worth it.”

Asked what their advice would be for other new business owners, Consi and Giacalone described how they operate. “When it comes to the salon, we want to create a high-end feeling and atmosphere for our clients … but we want it to be laid back, not uptight,” Giacalone said. “We want people to feel welcomed and spoiled as soon as they walk in the door.”

The sisters emphasized that every customer and staff member should be met with respect. “We treat everyone who walks through our door and everyone who works for us equally,” Giacalone said. “Our staff has truly become a family, as we’ve had some people working for us for 12 years now. We’ve built a great team.”

They also spoke about the importance of business owners giving back to their communities.

“We constantly look for new fundraiser ideas so that we can reciprocate all the support that our community gives us,” Consi said. “We also support other businesses similar to ours, such as other local hair salons. We don’t look at them as competition … instead, we help each other.”

Nick Bilotta, president of the Seaford Chamber of Commerce, said the Businessperson of the Year award is given to “someone who shows that they’ve been very involved in the community, that they care about the community, and that they care about doing business with the people in Seaford.” Bilotta noted that it inspires him to see a growing number of women-owned businesses, like LaCole Salon, in town.

“Laura and Nicole are two very genuine and hardworking women,” Bilotta said. “They represent a business in Seaford, and they’ve done a great job at building that business. More and more people are getting to know them and going to their salon.”