Downtown Business Prepares for Move

Beauty Connection Co-Owner Pam Ridinger works on Josephine Highfield's nails during a trip to the salon last week. Salon staff are preparing to move equipment and materials to a new location outside of downtown September 6 after the Market Street building was bought by Rosebud Mining in March.

by Jonathan Weaver

A Kittanning business is moving after Labor Day.

Beauty Connection Co-Owners Wannetta Wilding and Pam Ridinger will pack up and lock the 322 Market St. doors after the building was bought by Rosebud Mining in March.

Ridinger explained that the business is not out-of-business

“Rosebud Mining bought the building – the landlord had it up for sale,” Ridinger said. “They came over and talked with us, gave us six months, so we started looking around at different places, heard about Angel Haire; so I contacted the lady who owns that and that’s where we decided to move to.”

The salon announced the move last week with a sign outside its facility and flyers to customers.

The “Angel Haire” salon, whose owner -Karen Edley - is retiring, is located at 100 Parkview Dr. near ACMH and will become the new Beauty Connection salon September 6.

“It is hard for some customers who live in town, but hopefully a lot of our clients will follow us where we go,” Ridinger said.

Landlord Larry Nelson had the building up-for-sale for an undetermined amount of time, but Ridinger said it was not easy to find a new location.

“It took quite a while to find a place with all the new rules and regulations through the zoning, so it worked out well that we found a place that was an existing beauty salon to just move into,” Ridinger said.

Josephine Highfield of Kittanning has been a loyal customer since the salon opened and doesn’t want to see the building as anything else.

“I don’t care, but I’m mad that he’s making these people move,” Highfield said.

However, Hair Stylist Leann Elkin has worked at the salon for ten years and is looking forward to the move.

“I’m excited to go. Something new,” Elkin said.

Stylists will have a moving sale in September of un-needed material.

“We’re going to try and sell as much as we can so we don’t have to put it in storage,” Ridinger said.

The salon currently employs five stylists and will add one to the team after the move. Massage Therapist Lynn Stennett will not be making the move with the salon – a disadvantage, according to the co-owners.

The salon will also be reportedly downsizing in terms of space and will not be able to have facials or skin care treatments.

Wilding is still optimistic and gives an advantage.

“It has its advantages and disadvantages, but I think it will be good,” Wilding said. “We’ll have a parking lot so you won’t have to worry about any more parking tickets,” Wilding said.

The co-owners are scheduling a grand re-opening November 4 with representatives from Matrix Hairstyles, Tigi Haircare and door prizes

After the grand re-opening, the salon will also carry two new lines: Bosley Medical and the Pravana Perfection straightening system.

The salon’s phone number – 724-543-6040 – will remain the same. Wilding urges customers to keep track of the salon’s Facebook page for updated information.

Community Investigates Hit-and-Run

Kittanning Borough Police Officer Greg Koprivnak records vehicle information from Applewold Fire Chief Jim Feeney after his wife's red 1993 Z28 Camaro was the victim of a hit-and-run incident along Allegheny Avenue Friday.

by Jonathan Weaver

A local community is assisting borough police during investigation of a hit-and-run accident last week.

Applewold Borough and Kittanning Police are joining forces to identify a vehicle that struck a red 1993 Z28 Camaro with an L21 Corvette engine on Allegheny Avenue Friday afternoon.

The vehicle belongs to the wife of Applewold Fire Chief Jim Feeney.

Feeney, who pulled the vehicle out of the garage, said the family has owned the vehicle the entire 18 years and was shocked by the incident.

“I went past and almost had a stroke,” Feeney said. .40 “I drove past, we were still working – and I said to my buddy after I saw the mirror missing, ‘Hey, somebody hit my car – stop!,’ so we back up, my mirror’s laying back here (on the roadway) and all this damage is done.”

Applewold Borough Council President Mark Feeney and Kittanning Police Officer Greg Koprivnak are hoping security cameras on a nearby telephone pole will help determine the perpetrator.

Officer Koprivnak arrived on-scene at approximately 3:35PM, but could not identify what type of vehicle did the damage.

Anyone with information regarding the incident should contact Kittanning Borough Police at 724-543-1538.