Federico Guglielmo knows how to cut hair. What he hasn’t cut is his roots in the Morris Park community where he grew up.
Guglielmo, an Italian native passionate about the art of hairstyling, opened The Stage hair salon this month at 1015 Morris Park Avenue.
The unisex hair shop’s name dervies from Guglielmo’s time spent on stage teaching the fundamentals of hair cutting.
“The reason why we’re here in the Bronx is because we want to bring some quality work and make the prices affordable for the neighborhood,” said Guglielmo, whose flagship Federico Salon, opened in 1990 in White Plains, charges upwards of $100 a haircut.
You won’t see those prices at The Stage, where he’s “cut” the price of the same $100 haircut to $30.
The hair salon is the first in the Bronx for Guglielmo who always wanted to bring high-quality hair cuts to his old neighborhood since moving to White Plains.
Guglielmo specializes in coloring and dry cutting hair.
“I feel when the hair is dry it’s actually extended the right length and you could actually visualize where the hair is going to fall,” said Guglielmo, who teaches the style to all his employees, including JennaMarie Avallone, who met Guglielmo when she was a client.
“I was amazed, I was in awe of his work,” she said. “I never trust anybody with my hair. When he touched it, it was like amazing.”
Guglielmo arrived to Morris Park from Italy in 1974. In 1983, he worked at a hair salon in Van Cortlandt called “Joe’s” where he met his wife Maida. He moved to White Plains in 1987.
But the soft-spoken father of two maintains strong connections with family and friends still living in the neighborhood. His employees have dubbed him “The Mayor of Morris Park.”
“The concept of all this is because I love this neighborhood,” said Guglielmo, who has traveled all over the world to teach his technique. He also goes back to his native Rome, where he works with other renowned hair cutters to improve his craft.
Wife Maida will oversee the day-to-day operations at the salon, equipped with seven hair cutting stations, with the help of the manager who simply goes by the name Toni.
Maida is thrilled to see the salon open.
“This is like a new beginning,” she said, teary-eyed that the couple’s ten-year dream to open another salon has finally come true.
The Stage hair salon is open seven days a week, offering services for both men and women.
To reach reporter David Cruz, call (718) 742-3383 or email at dcruz@cnglocal.com.
