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It’s a Saturday afternoon, and Sweet & Sassy is bustling with princesses, supermodels, and boa-flinging divas. As a
long line of well-dressed beauties strut their stuff on the pink and blue runway stage, another dozen are relaxing
around a custom-designed pedicure pit. And none of them are over 12 years old.

That’s just how Dixie Drake-Davis envisioned it when she created Sweet & Sassy several years ago. A marketing
expert (she holds an MBA from Texas Christian University) who once owned a nail salon, she realized the need for
specialized children’s services as a stay-at-home mom.

“There wasn’t a place for kids to go where they could have a great experience,” she explains. “Pedicure pits
weren’t built for kids.” Drake-Davis had put together a successful upscale nail salon concept 14 years before by
finding the right niche, and after selling it, realized “I still loved the salon business.”

Catering to the crayon crowd
At Sweet & Sassy, she’s turned to a younger niche market, and she’s having a blast. “You have to like kids to do it.
You don’t get bored.” Her customers range from 9 months to 12 years, although her stylists once made an
exception for a 14-year old sibling who asked nicely. Nail services are offered for children as young as three,
although she doesn’t recommend polish for those under five due to the wiggle factor. “We’ll do it, but it’s hard
for the little ones to stay still, so we don’t guarantee polish. Instead, we emphasize the fun of the whole
experience.”

Kids can be kids at Sweet & Sassy, picking up good grooming habits while indulging in age-appropriate fantasy.
There’s a benefit for grown-ups as well. “It’s good for patrons of adult salons,” says Drake-Davis, remembering
more than one pint-sized client who upset the calming atmosphere in her first salon.

Party all the time
Adults aren’t banned entirely at Sweet & Sassy. “We welcome our moms,” Drake-Davis says. “On Saturdays, when
we have parties, the mothers of the younger girls often stay. As our clients get older, though, the moms will often
run out to shop.” The flagship salon is located in Southlake Town Square, an upscale outdoor shopping center
that includes national retailers like Talbots, Anthropologie, The Sharper Image, and Williams-Sonoma. Drake-Davis
describes the area as upper middle class, with lots of kids.

Those parties are an integral part of Sweet & Sassy’s success—and one of the salon’s greatest challenges. “We
have 14 to 16 parties every Saturday,” says Drake-Davis. “Keeping the girls busy and the moms happy can be hard,
because we have four parties going on at once. One group will be in Glam Central or Cake Place, another will be
dressing up, and two more will be coming down both sides of the runway.”

Drake-Davis employs 26 upbeat party coordinators to keep the girls excited, including a number of energetic high
school students who love working with kids. “When you’re turning nine your birthday is the most important day of
your life,” she says. “We’re honored that they want to spend their big day with us.”

“We change our party concepts every six to nine months,” she says, “so things stay fresh.” Currently, girls can
choose from five different parties, including Rockin’ Karaoke, where girls wear headset microphones and rockstar
fashions. Girls are treated to up-dos, nail treatments, and glittery makeovers. The birthday girl chooses a song
from a list of 20 pop tunes, and guests learn lyrics and dance moves for an all-star performance on the Sweet &
Sassy runway, complete with television cameras. Birthday cake and presents follow in Cake Place, and two hours
and 15 minutes later, the guest of honor, her mom, and the guests are headed out, refreshed and recharged. The
party costs $239 for eight guests, with $29.95/additional guest, up to a maximum of sixteen girls. Drake-Davis says
that parties make up 35% of her business, with hair services at 25%, nails at 15%, ear piercing at 8%, and retail sales
making up the balance.

The royal treatment
For parents who want to treat just one child to a special day, Sweet & Sassy offers discounted package deals as
well as single services. The Pampered Princess package is their most popular. The $49.95 concept includes
shampoo, haircut, and style, mini-mani, and mini-pedi, plus a surprise or two if clients are well-behaved. True divas
can upgrade to the $69.95 Diva for a Day package which also includes a mini-facial and makeover. Single services
for nails include the Mini-Mani and Mini-Pedi, with mini-manicures running $14.95 and mini-pedicures at $18.95. Nail
services do not include cuticle or blade work, but are otherwise comparable to their adult versions. Each service
includes one piece of nail art; additional applications are $2.50/nail.

“The girls like having choices,” says Drake-Davis, “so we ask them ‘Would you like strawberry or banana-mango
lotion today?’ It makes them feel grown-up.”

Girls rule; boys drool. . . but both are welcome
Boys are welcome in the salon as well, and make up 35% of Sweet & Sassy’s hair business. Drake-Davis says she’s
had just a couple of male nail clients, mostly the sons of local athletes who know the healing powers of a good
pedicure. “Highlights for boys are very popular; we also have great toys and books for boys in our retail area, like
Sticky Stones (magnetic natural stones that “stick” together through the hand) and really cool marble eyeball
poppers that turn inside out.”

Start ‘em shopping
Girls squeal over the treasures in the Sweet & Sassy Shoppe retail area, which features custom hair bows, glittery
body paint, beading kits, Sweet & Sassy tee shirts, boas, tiaras, bath products, room accessories, and take-home
versions of the orange, purple, and lime green heart and crown pillows that line the purple pedicure pit. The hot
seller for girls right now? A stuffed dog with a carrying case for $14.95; girls can dress the pooch up in little outfits
that cost $6/each. The salon’s buyers keep their eyes open for the latest trends. “We’re featuring more branded
items,” says Drake-Davis. It’s staffed by six cheerful greeters, all of whom are cross-trained to pierce ears—in an
enormous high-heeled shoe.

Branding and concept
Purple, orange, and lime are the theme colors for Sweet & Sassy. New salons feature a purple concrete floor, and
the Southlake flagship is being retrofitted to match the punchy look of the company’s newer franchises. The
salons average 3000 square feet, and the company works closely with commercial real estate experts throughout
the country to ensure the locations will be successful. “We look at the other tenants and the amount of foot and
drive-by traffic when making a decision about franchise location.”

In addition to the combined retail/entrance area, Sweet & Sassy Salons feature Snip-Snap Station, where trained
stylists provide haircuts, up-dos and braids. Kids wear specialty barber capes, and are treated to fairy dust, glitter
stars, and gourmet lollipops. Nails receive special treatment in Pampered Place, featuring customized furniture
that’s perfect for smaller hands and feet. In Glam Central, Sweet & Sassy’s signature parties delight guests all week.

Pricing is comparable to other area salons, but Drake-Davis feels her extras give her young clients, and their
parents, an incentive to return. “Our guests get a robe, boa, and nail art. It’s fun for them.”

The concept provides ample opportunities for cross-selling and cross-training, says Drake-Davis. “Our stylists like
working in the retail area during the week when it’s not as busy. They like seeing the new products and
interacting with customers in a different way.”

That interaction is part of the overall magic. “We’re very focused on customer service,” Drake-Davis explains. “Our
staff members greet each guest and thank them; we also follow up with clients by email,” sending messages of
appreciation and updates on the salon’s newest products and services. The salon’s website, www.sweetandsassy.
com, is another important customer service tool, providing a full menu of service and pricing options, as well as
information about franchising. “We put our web address on all our advertising, and notice a jump in traffic
whenever a new ad comes out.”

Investing in human resources
Despite her love for the nail salon business, Drake-Davis is not a licensed technician. “I hire licensed stylists and a
licensed salon manager—the best people possible—to handle that end of the business, and I focus on the
marketing. Her partners, David Davis (her husband, who left a globetrotting corporate position to join Sweet &
Sassy last year) and S.M. Griffeth, handle the sales/franchise and operations aspects respectively. Drake-Davis
enjoys working with her husband, and took the advice of Bob Bolen, former Mayor of Fort Worth, TX who told the
couple to never tell each other what to do. “It works,” Drake-Davis beams. “We respect each other’s expertise.”

For promising staff members, working at Sweet & Sassy can be the start to a great career path. “We’re opening so
many stores,” says Drake-Davis, “there are always opportunities. It’s so much fun. On a Saturday, our parties bring
the store to life.”