Now, nine years later, he knows it was the right move as a stylist and a son. Working alongside his mother and father, Isa and Joe, the 30-year-old family business is poised to remain in Fairfield for another couple of decades.
“It’s a good working relationship between all of us,’’ Isa said. “Tony has learned a lot from his father. I never would’ve expected them to work together as well as they do. I think Tony’s a natural talent, and he gets that from his dad.”
Joe and Isa started the business in 1982 in a converted barn near the business’ current location at 1172 Post Road. They have seen styles come and go – visit the “Blast From The Past” page on the company’s website – but their commitment to customer service for their clients has never wavered.
“Customer service has always been our priority,’’ Isa said. “We’ve always had a great staff and they’ve helped us stay on top of current styles. We’ve had young people coming to work for us that bring new ideas and energy. Most of them come to us from right out of school and Joe trains them. Now, we have a loyal staff that has been there for a while.”
Tony joined the business in 2004 after two years studying restaurant management in college.
“It took a while to get acclimated,’’ he said. “I had always been around it, but it was culture shock. You have to love people and be able to talk. The hardest part was just getting comfortable touching a person’s head.”
Tony said it was an advantage learning from his father, as a stylist and communicator.
“I always thought it might have been beneficial to learn somewhere else,’’ Furnari said. “But as far as learning and mastering the craft, there is no better place to learn than from my father. He’s perfect to watch and learn from. He’s definitely one of the best around. I also learned how to treat people. He never puts on an act for anybody. He was the same guy working that I knew as a father.”
The father-and-son work side-by-side at the shop, but Tony has started taking on a bigger role in business development. “Business-wise, he’ll take it to another level,’’ Isa said. “That’s his generation. Sometimes hairdressers don’t always make the best business people. That’s where Tony will really help us.”
Isa said the business plan back in the 1980s did not include working with her children at some point down the road. She is proud, however, of how things have worked out.
“Any mother would be proud to see father and son working together,’’ she said. “It’s a big circle. We all have our specific jobs. It really works well for all three of us.”
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