VanStrand-Third Place

http://www.vanstrand.com/
The community that I have recently visited was my Hair Salon, Van Strand. Last week I went to the salon to get my hair cut and dyed. Van Strand is part of the same strip mall that the Target store I work at is part of, so this location is definitely part of the same community where I work. At the salon I was able to take part of the community conversation. When entering the salon, I was greeted by the front desk receptionist, and told to sit in one of the comfy leather chairs, where I was able to listen to the general mood and access the atmosphere of the salon. The salon is one room with five different stations lined up on each side. My stylist Katie, escorted me to the back of the salon to start cutting and styling my hair. Once I was in the chair, the conversation began. Katie and I began talking about how cold the weather was, and since both our work places are part of the same parking lot we began talking about the conditions of the pavement in the lot. We, and other clients at the salon began talking about how the roads in the community were in very poor condition, and we were curious about whether the township was waiting (till spring) to fill in the potholes in the lot, or if they did not have enough money to fill them in. Katie and I talked about the economic status of our work place and then moved our discussion to the economy. It seems that both of the businesses where we work are experiencing shortage of hours due to the lack of incoming revenue. Katie and I are both engaged to be wed in the year 2011, we talked about our lack of money due to the damaged economy, one of the things we were discussing were different ways to save money when planning a wedding. Katie gave me great tips about how the date of the wedding can reduce the cost of a reception exponentially. Her advice actually helped me to set a date later in the fall instead of during the summer. While talking about our weddings, other clients chimed into our conversation, giving us great ideas on how to save cash during the wedding, and for our honeymoon. Overall, this location could be classified as a third place, the best part of the conversations in this community was knowing that there are other people in my community who share the same concerns as I do when it comes to earning and saving money. It was great to receive advice from people who have already had weddings and know creative ways to save money, especially in hard times like these.