In the borough of Millvale, you can find music festivals, breweries, local library, and as of a few weeks ago, Headstone Salon and Gallery, a place that co-owners Aiden Flame and Zoe Davis hope becomes a safe haven, a gallery, and a go-to for gothic styling services.
Three months ago, Davis’ downstairs neighbor moved out. Davis wasn’t thrilled about the possibility of an unknown new entity taking their place. The former business was a salon, so it had a ready-made set-up, she tells Pittsburgh City Paper. Not being a hairdresser by trade gave Davis a momentary pause until she remembered she had friends with expertise.
“Aiden had been doing my hair for years, and it was already a salon, but there wasn’t anything particularly special about it, [so] we came in and we made it special,” Davis says. “We made this place thrive in a way that it hadn’t previously known, and really, it was kind of like almost having some security in my life, too.”
Davis handles the business operations, while Flame handles the hairdressing and curates the artwork featured throughout the salon. The pair have been friends for years, share several mutual friends, and Davis had experienced Flame’s services firsthand; therefore, they felt familiar enough with each other’s strengths to go into business together…