The Charm Salon will live on under the new ownership of Crystal Borst. P-J photos by Jordan W. Patterson

Crystal Borst is a hair stylist. And now she’s the owner of Charm Salon — an opportunity she “jumped on.”

“It’s all or nothing,” Borst said.

Charm Salon has been in operation for more than two decades, beginning as the Lucky Charm and then transitioning to its current name.

Now, Borst will look to continue the Jamestown namesake into the future with her own spin on the hair-styling destination.

Borst purchased the business from Pamela Mistretta. Mistretta’s father owned the Lucky Charm before her. Borst said the acquisition made the most economical sense for her personally.

Borst, having only purchased the salon two weeks prior, opened for business July 2. Before Charm, Borst worked at Salon 1 on Foote Avenue. Borst conducted a soft remodeling before officially reopening.

“It had to be,” Borst said of the quick turn around. “I couldn’t be out of money for so long.”

The salon has six hair stations, with an additional dryer room. Borst said she will continue upgrading the interior of the space as she moves forward.

“It’s a lot less stressful,” Borst said about becoming her own boss.

The new owner of Charm Salon has been a hair stylist for 10 years, earning her certification in August 2009. She attended school at Toni&Guy Hairdressing Academy in Erie, Pa. Before that, she was attending Jamestown Community College where she intended on becoming a veterinarian. She quickly realized she wanted to cut hair.

Watching her younger sister’s father cut hair for a living growing up, Borst always had a fascination for the career path.

Sitting at the 112 W. Third St. location the day after opening, Borst was optimistic about what she can add to the area.

“It’s been good money so far,” she said.

In the second day of business, Borst said she had already made her average weekly pay check. Borst plans to keep her iteration of Charm Salon “simple,” “mellow” and “homey.”

“I want to have a nice welcoming atmosphere,” she said.

With Charm, Borst wants to make a real connection with its clients and not over work her staff. Charm Salon also employs one other hair stylist, Lauren Gutknecht.

Borst felt she needed to “jump” on the opportunity primarily because of the “great” location.

“I do like everything that’s going on downtown,” Borst said. “There’s a lot of foot traffic. There’s the (Northwest Arena) and there’s the (National) Comedy Center. It’s going to be a scene.”

Charm Salon is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday – Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. Borst or Gutknecht can be reached at 664-7400.

Previous clients of Borst can now find her running operations at Charm Salon. And clients of Charm Salon’s previous ownership can rest assured that the long-running storefront is still open for business.

“It’s exciting,” she said.