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Right as the sun starts to set, Claudia Kosty sometimes parks in a lot and stares at her salon from across the street. For over a year, the salon’s opening was in limbo due to COVID-19 and other setbacks. With the windows lit up and workers running around, it looks amazing to her.

“It’s just like, ‘Oh my gosh, I can’t believe we did this,” Kosty said.

Kosty’s salon, Inspire at the Grainery, opened in January. The beauty salon and day spa, located at 128 N. Warren Street, offers a variety of services from manicures and pedicures to facials and waxing.

“We knew we wanted to have a place where you could have everything done at once,” Kosty said. “We felt that it was really important that not only could you get your hair done, but you can also get a facial and get your lashes done.”

Inspire at the Grainery offers a variety of services, from manicures and pedicures to facials and waxing. Young-Bin Lee | Staff Photographer

Kosty and Candace Winchell, a hairstylist at Inspire, envisioned the idea for a new beauty salon and day spa when working together at a different salon, Sola Salon Studios in DeWitt. Winchell and Kosty wanted to create a camaraderie and a “dream team” that would be a supportive place for all of the people working there, including volunteering together or working out when it’s safer to spend time together.

After working in a corporate environment and deciding it was no longer the route for her, Kosty always had a passion for beauty and trying products. Kosty decided that she wanted to go back to school to become an aesthetician and ended up working at the salon in DeWitt.

Inspire is located in a building called “The Grainery,” which was built in the 1800s. The Grainery has ample parking, and Kosty also felt that the hustle and bustle of downtown Syracuse made it a prime location for them.

Kosty and her fiance, Adam Gasiorowski, purchased the building in 2019 and planned to open in May 2020. However, with construction pushbacks, public health restrictions and businesses closing, the salon ended up opening in January instead.

Winchell said the visibility of Inspire’s downtown location, plus the salon’s social media platforms, have helped attract new clients. When they first opened, the workers brought past clients into the business. As COVID-19 settles down, they plan to boost marketing. The salon currently runs at half capacity.

Aesthetician and Inspire team member Casey Dougherty said that working at the salon has made all of the difference while going through the pandemic.

“It’s been tough through the pandemic. Working here has just made it so much better,” Dougherty said. “(Kosty) is amazing. She’s an amazing woman, and I love going into work. The sky’s the limit for the salon.”

Published on March 10, 2021 at 10:21 pm