b'PROFESSIONAL PROFILEHEALTHY ROOTS Torontonians of every stripe. Delmontetime, Delmonte and his team leaned on Three decades later, and its clear that theattributes his success to his team ofgovernment subsidies and a supportive one-way bus ticket has paid off. Today,experienced stylists, many of who havelandlord who did what they could to keep Dean Delmonte & Company enjoys aremained loyal throughout the years andthe salon viable. reputation as one of the PATHs premierare believers in his vision. As Delmonte explains: 90 per cent of hair treatment destinations. In its firstWe run this place as a family, he says.our business comes from the office towers year alone, the business was awardedIm probably the most inclusive salon inalong the PATH, and when everyone Salon Magazines Salon Interior Designthe PATH, both in terms of ethnicity andwent to work from home, our business Award, and the accolades have beensexual orientation, and I really think thatdropped by 70 per cent. That meant we accruing ever since. That first award wassort of family unit and being a queer- were working on a 30-per-cent revenue a big deal because there are a lot of peoplepositive space is the main reason we havestream but paying 100 per cent of the in this industry who believe that the littlethe people we do. As for what continuesbills. Fortunately, were just now starting guy isnt really allowed to make it on theirto draw clients to his chairs, We just doto come out of it and starting to see the own, and that you have to be part of a biggreat hair. Were fashion-forward; eachtowers coming back, but Im not going to chain if you really want to run a salon,stylist comes with their own talents, andlie, it was tough. Delmonte says.each client is fit with the stylist that willWith the worst of the pandemic From the start, Delmontes visionbest suit them. behind him, Delmonte is eager to get was to build a styling destination and aPAST THE PANDEMICback on pace. That includes continuing team that reflected his style and ideals.Torontos PATH system was prime realto build his clientele through word of That included nurturing a queer-friendlyestate when Delmonte first opened shop,mouth and social media channels. This space for staff and clients alike. While hebut relying on business from nearby officeworld is all about Instagram and social did just that, not everyone in the PATHbuildings was a struggle during the globalmedia, so between that and word of district was initially eager to welcomeCOVID-19 pandemic. Like virtually allmouth, we havent really had to do a lot of Delmontes team with open arms. Backbusinesses in Torontos underground hub,marketing, he notes.then, Torontos financial district was stillDean Delmonte & Companys resiliencyAs for advice for like-minded very homophobic. My clientele base waswas put to a harsh test. Nobody reallyentrepreneurs, Delmonte says the mostly women and very few men, becauseknew what was happening, but I startedmost important asset for any business Bay Street was extremely conservative,to notice around late January 2020 thatowner is authenticity: Going into a very he recalls. Over the years, though, thingsthe financial district was scared. Peopleconservative Bay Street hair salon and have changed for the better, and Baywere starting to work from home and ourenvironment, there was a long time where Street has become much more accepting.revenues were dropping by 50 per centI tried to hide who I was. You didnt want These initial biases did little to knockevery week leading up to March 15, to be too flamboyant as that might have Delmonte off his path. With time, hehe reports. affected clients. But Ive learned along continued to build a specialized storeEventually, the business was forcedthe way that being your true self attracts and team that has made Delmonte ato close its doors for 16 long months,the right type of clientele to you. And you signature destination for prominentlosing millions of dollars in revenueknow, you can only pretend forfamilies, business leaders, celebrities andbetween 2020 and 2021. During thisso long. Dean DelmonteAs this issue was going to press, the QBiz team was saddened to hear of Deans recent passing. This feature was already a celebration of Deans career; now, it also stands as a celebration of his life and legacy.Issue 1 2022 | QBiz CANADA |23'