Featured Stories
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COUPLES’ MASSAGE OR A SHAVE? by Maggie Pagratis
Boy times have changed! Twenty years ago, says Ida Fabbro, men and women had their hair cut on either side of the room—even at a unisex salon. Now, as owner and beauty connoisseur, she has gone all out. She spared no expense five years ago when creating Centropolis’ Spa Orazio; two floors of lavish extravaganza, tasteful heaven for the pleasure of self and others—with a grand piano smack in the middle—a tribute to partner, Robert Ricci, son of original founder, Orazio Ricci.
Women bring their spouses, says Fabbro, for a pedicure or a massage. A room specially designed to accommodate couples, with a simple curtain to separate the event. “Open or closed curtain?” your favourite massage therapist may ask. “Male or female hands to soothe the sore muscles?”
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INVESTING DO-IT-YOURSELF — YES YOU CAN! by Chris Scoularinas
I recently asked 20 people I know, all in their early to mid-thirties, the following simple open-ended question: How has the current recession and stock market crash affected your RRSP and/or other investments?
One person gave me a specific percentage of how much he was down this year. Three said they were probably down on the year but were not worried about it. Five people said they just keep their money in a savings account because they don’t understand finance and are afraid of anything other than cash or GICs. Ten others said they haven’t really checked and were meaning to get around to calling their financial advisor about it. And one even said, to my absolute horror, “What stock market crash?”
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MOSTLY FOR MEN—THEN
The Board of Trade, founded 200 years ago as a voice to represent the business community, then almost entirely comprised of men and createdfor men, is now headed by president and CEO, Ms. Isabelle Hudon, who has a word or two of refreshing wisdom for members of the business community—and, of course, of the human race.
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THE QUEEN WHO RUNS MONROI
Interview with Ms. Brana Giancristofaro
Maggie: While reading about your business, I discovered that MonRoi executed the world's first International Women's Chess Grand Prix....
Brana: I really love that we provided the opportunity for women in chess to be heard. Before MonRoi, they didn't have their own Grand Prix, particularly not an international one. We provide an opportunity to put them in the spotlight.
Maggie: Who came up with the name MonRoi?
Brana: I basically came up with the name. I was inspired by Quebec City history and culture. In French MonRoi means 'my king.' The king represents the prize which a chess player wishes to win. Both for chess and checkmate, both came from 'Char,' the Persian word for 'king.' But why not MaReine? Because the only female chess piece is the Queen, and at the same time, the most powerful chess piece. She can move in all directions across the board. Only in the 8th century did the queen appear on the chessboard when chess was brought to Europe from Asia. It was likely due to influence of female rulers in Europe.
Maggie: When did you start the business?
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GODS OF BUSINESS SENSE
Former theologian and pastor, Ralph Loewen, takes on the business world, turning Itergy into a Gold Certified Microsoft Company, and winning the coveted top spot in the Profit Magazine awards.
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| COUPLES’ MASSAGE OR A SHAVE? by Maggie Pagratis |
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Boy times have changed! Twenty years ago, says Ida Fabbro, men and women had their hair cut on either side of the room—even at a unisex salon. Now, as owner and beauty connoisseur, she has gone all out. She spared no expense five years ago when creating Centropolis’ Spa Orazio; two floors of lavish extravaganza, tasteful heaven for the pleasure of self and others—with a grand piano smack in the middle—a tribute to partner, Robert Ricci, son of original founder, Orazio Ricci.
Women bring their spouses, says Fabbro, for a pedicure or a massage. A room specially designed to accommodate couples, with a simple curtain to separate the event. “Open or closed curtain?” your favourite massage therapist may ask. “Male or female hands to soothe the sore muscles?”
Orazio spa has received high praise and acknowledgement and has landed features alongside New York’s greatest spas. Fabbro appears to savour every step towards success as awards begin to line the walls; evidence that five years of hard work is paying off. “We’re very happy, we’re very proud...and we love the area...the clientele is amazing,” says Fabbro.
It wasn’t always easy.
In fact, the first few years were exceptionally hard. Fabbro and Ricci had to build up the business from nothing. The strip mall where Orazio is located was comprised of very few stores and customers were hard to come by.
But sure enough, the business grew and now staffs almost 40 employees—from estheticians to hair stylists to even a doctor. She comes in once a week, says Fabbro, and takes care of the “injectables.” Fabbro, herself, delves into the beauty business, hands on, so to speak. She enjoys “making people beautiful.” As in-house medical esthetician, she performs an array of noninvasive cosmetic procedures, including microderm abrasion, pigmented lesion and rosacea treatments. “I find with everything out there today,” says Fabbro, “it’s fun. There’s always something new...”
Her next step is to get men more comfortable with the idea of going to the spa. Couple massages are one way. Shaves are another. Men come, she says, for a shave from time to time, and when they see how rewarding it is, they come again. For only 18 dollars, their face is smoothed slowly and deliberately, receiving the loving care it deserves. According to Fabbro, it’s the loving care we all deserve.
Still, she says, we’re in somewhat of a recession. It hasn’t affected Canada as much as the United States. Nevertheless, those in the beauty business are susceptible, given that it’s an outright luxury.
Fabbro’s plans for the future include a fruit bar and a private pedicure room for men. She has little interest in expanding or franchising. “This is big enough for me, and I’m satisfied with this. I’m still passionate today as I was 25 years ago when I started esthetics, even more so today.” You have to be there every step of the way, she continues, to make sure the customer gets quality service, that everything reaches the standard you set and that every client leaves satisfied and feeling the best they can feel. With the nature of this business being what it is, you have to make sure it’s worth it.
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