Carmen Lombardo with Laurel and Michelle.
It was 1974 when Carmen Lombardo began working as a stylist at John Dellaria. He was young, talented and ambitious. Only four years later he had his own salon on Bedford Street with a group of dynamic men that would dominate the salon scene in this area together and separately from seventies until the present.
I am so fortunate to have started at Dellaria working with Philip Ciampa, Lombardo says freely. I love the man. He was a great mentor. Carmen called his then-new salon Creative Expressions and the name is a neat summary of his vision for the business to business that expresses the artistry of the stylist through the innate beauty of every woman. It’s a name that still resonates today.
Lombardo bought the building next door and stayed there for the next twenty years until he grew the business to the point where he needed to expand; he moved to a more central location in Arlington, but he held on to the property in Lexington.
In the intervening years, many of his former employee opened their own salons something that he considers a tribute to their early success together. Everyone should aspire to that to be an owner, he says frankly. Last month Creative Expressions returned home to Lexington with a fully refurbished salon in this original Bedford Street Location. I love our Arlington Salon, but I was ready for a new challenge, Lombardo says. Arlington remains in the capable hands of his wife Annette.
Now he is proud and happy to back in Lexington. Lexington is loaded with quality, he says, and he is anxious to bring his own special brand of quality and service back to the community that gave him his start. I was a kid when I opened up my first salon, he says. One of the best things about being twenty-one is you are so stupid that you are not able to be afraid! Being afraid is still not in Carmen’s DNA. I have always been confident of my technical ability, he says, and I knew I could be successful with lots of hard work. He’s anxious to get down to work in Lexington in his new-old location!
Looking at him, it’s hard to believe that this handsome and charismatic man has been in the business for over thirty years he still has the energy of a 21 year old! He and his wife Annette have lived in Lexington for all of these years and raised a family. Lexington is a fantastic community, he says with pride.
Although Carmen thinks it is a bit grandiose to refer to cutting hair as an art form, he clearly has an artist’s passion for his work and for the discipline and technique that goes into it. It is on this foundation of “technical perfection” that he has built a stellar reputation for expertise in his field and a thriving business. How does he do it and why take on a second location at this stage in his career? I just keep on driving to make it better, he says. “I needed something new to get me excited; a challenge. I get itchy,” he says with a laugh. “I’m working really hard; I’m leading by example the same way I’ve always done,” he says with assurance.
Carmen derives real joy from training his young stylists. He has worked closely with Minuteman high school Director of Cosmetology Cynthia DeMaio over the years and has hired a number of graduates from their program. Both Laurel and Michelle in Lexington salon came through the program. “I started with Carmen while I was a senior at Minuteman,” Laurel says. “Carmen has given me lots of opportunity to learn and grow as a stylist. We’re always going to classes and shows; always trying to learn and grow.” Michelle also went to Minuteman in the post-graduate program. “I did one full year at Minuteman and was able to become licensed,” she says. “Minuteman provides a fantastic opportunity for kids,” Lombardo says. “It’s one of the great things about being in Lexington.”
The new salon is beautiful.
He also recommends the post-graduate program to people who may want to change careers. “Minuteman is a great resource for this town,” he says. “Once you train them they become success stories on their own! We’re always learning here,” he says. “You build the business with the young ones. They have such energy!”
I visited the salon on a Tuesday night which is “teaching night” at Creative Expressions. He encourages each of his stylists to work on their technique, present new ideas and explore new products. But most importantly Lombardo teaches his stylists to listen. “It’s so important that a stylist really listens to the client. I always want to make absolutely sure that whatever we do is working for the client; not just looking good when they leave the salon, but really working for their lifestyle, or we haven’t done our job.” That means a haircut and color needs to look good between services, not just when the client leaves the salon. “It’s easy to make someone beautiful when they are here, but a technically perfect haircut that works for your face shape will also work for you at home. That’s our goal.”
It’s a goal he takes very seriously. “I am more critical of myself and my staff than anyone else,” he says. “This is a professional relationship, and we need to deliver a professional product. My life here is surrounded by my master hair stylists; I know they are a capable group.”
Staying on top in a very competitive business speaks to his professional success, but he knows that the salon relationship can be challenging because it is both very creative and very personal. “A hairdresser needs to be open to criticism; the ego cannot get in the way,” he says. Lombardo is proud of the long-lasting relationships he has been able to maintain with his clients. “My clients represent me and my philosophy; it happens naturally and they keep coming back! I want clients to feel free to express themselves’ to demand the best from us,” he says. “They should never be afraid to be honest.”
According to Lombardo, it’s all about communication. “We talk. What do you want for your hair? What do I see? It’s important that a hairdresser be honest, to take the initiative to propose new ideas,” he asserts. He acknowledges that it takes a certain confidence to take clients in a new direction. “That comes with success. I see so many transformations; dramatic changes; that’s what makes hairdressing so much fun.” And it really is fun for him. “Most people come to a new salon looking for a change,” he says. “For me, it is an artistic process; something catches your eye; the face shape, the tonality of the skin; it’s an opportunity to create.” And he tries to keep it fresh with every client. “Once we know your hair we’re going to work with it to make it work for you,” he states. “Because your hair should always be working for you; you shouldn’t be working for your hair!” Lombardo says anytime you spend more than twenty minutes blow drying your hair something is not working with your haircut! “Who has time for that?”
The salon itself looks beautiful. Everything is new and the aesthetic is warm and inviting. “We wanted to create a comfortable environment,” Lombardo says. “From the moment you walk in the door of Creative Expressions we want the experience to be welcoming and memorable; like no other. We want you to leave thinking: “This place is amazing and I look amazing!”. “
