BRIGHTON — Another long-term Pavilions tenant has bit the dust, closing its doors without explanation, at least until yesterday.

    For the former employees of Salon Silverado, the reasons don’t matter as much as the notice they didn’t receive, when the doors were suddenly locked Saturday.

    “Most of the people were told Aug. 29,” Esthetician Pam Lavin-Blancett said.

    She added that salon owner and ex-wife of Pavilions developer Craig Carlson, Liana Carlson, told them simply “Salon Silverado was closing its doors for business.”

    By Aug. 31, fire sale price tags were going up on the tanning beds and salon chairs, and the shell-shocked employees were trying to piece together a plan to continue serving clients.

    “My landlords are looking at a potential large restaurant chain moving in, and at my building specifically,” Liana Carlson said Aug. 30. “And I am relocating my portion of the business to Cherry Creek, which is a nail salon.”

     She declined further comment.

    Salon Silverado’s phone lines were disconnected, leaving customers in the dark. In the salon business, word of mouth and a steady clientele are everything.  That’s why the short notice closing came as such a hardship to the technicians who worked in the salon, and the patrons who frequented the location.

    Hairstylist/permanent makeup technician Vonnie Dikeman found a new home up the road at Studio117b on Main Street, but worried that with the salon disappearing, her clients may not know where she went. It’s a complaint echoed by other employees, who want their clients to know that while the salon may have shut its doors, they still wish to honor the commitments and clients that keep them in business. (See sidebar)

    For Lavin-Blancett, the closure means she may go back into the medical field, even if it means leaving Brighton.

    “I’m waiting on a contact. I may have an interview up in Vail for a plastic surgeon,” she said.

    Despite the hardships facing the employees, it may be members of the salon and prepaid customers who end up holding the bag, according to Lavin-Blancett.            

“If people have gift cards or anything, as far as I know, ‘pfffft.’ Vonnie is leaving, so the only people that will be here is myself and Caroline.”

    In the interim, Carlson is said to be selling off the salon’s assets, floor to ceiling.

    “She’s closing the doors, and everything, I mean from light fixtures to mirrors to chairs, everything goes,” Lavin-Blancett said. “Water fountains, plants, everything.”

Salon employees want to keep customers

The former employees of Salon Silverado want their clients to know that they are still practicing their respective crafts. To contact them individually for information or to set up an appointment, call:

Nicole Atherton

Hair Stylist

303-319-2126

Trish Ann Stuessie

Hair Color Expert

303-941-9453

Caroline Traxinger

Masseuse

732-674-6730

Pam Lavin-Blancett

Esthetician

303-818-5607

Vonnie Dikeman

Hair Stylist/Permanent Makeup

303-877- 7030

Amy Ewing

720-229-9545

Contact MetroWest City Editor Gene Sears at 303-659-2522 Ext.217, or e-mail gsears@metrowestnewspapers.com.