Meet Studio Onyx

Studio Onyx is a salon that focuses on personal interactions with our clients while providing incredible haircare services. At Studio Onyx, they take pride in not only using top of the line products to fit your needs but also educating each client on how to maintain the looks and styles they love! 

Tell us your business origin story.

Built on the heels of the pandemic, Studio Onyx was started in April 2021 by Ashley Gerstner Bryan. Ashley has a passion for doing hair. Starting as an assistant and shampoo girl at a small salon in Brunswick, MD and she eventually became licensed through The Temple, a Paul Mitchell Partner school. She always knew this was what she wanted to do. 

A career hair stylist of 10+ years, Ashley was a growing flower that needed a bigger pot, so she decided to venture into the world of ownership. Simultaneously, she was a young mother that knew her family needed stability. Initially, she was one stylist renting a space at Head to Toes salon which was a staple in the Jefferson, MD community. This would be the foundation to what would become Studio Onyx. Her partner, and owner of Head to Toes salon, would decide it was time for a change and Ashley decided to take over the business as her own. Following an extensive remodel, the former Head to Toes was now STUDIO ONYX.

What do you like most about being a business owner in Frederick?

What we like most about being business owners in Frederick is the community and its peers. So many great people around us and all of our connections are made through them. There’s always someone willing to lend a hand or offer advice. We also get the chance to do the same for other small businesses and community projects.

What makes Studio Onyx unique?

What makes Studio Onyx unique is its location and feeling of hospitality. We are located in the county, yet we are less than 20 mins from downtown. So, we have the ability to offer a different experience. We found that a large amount of people would rather not deal with traffic or the struggle of finding parking that comes with the city aspect, but we aren’t very far at all when it comes to commute time. 

Being a smaller salon, we also have the ability to give clients the individual attention they deserve. You will never feel rushed in and out of a chair at Studio Onyx because we put value in the relationship with each individual. We consider ourselves the salon “where everyone knows your name”. At the same time, we are source out specialists like lash techs and makeup artists when we host bridal parties and events, so what makes us unique is we are the best of both worlds. 

What do you want Studio Onyx to be known for?

We want our business to be known for consistency and reliability. Always performing at a high level, we want people to know that while we are a new salon, we have the experience and knowledge to provide the service they are looking for. We also want people to know where we are: just a hop, skip, and jump away! 

Share some of your community involvement efforts.

We support a list of nonprofits including: Four Seasons Giving Tree, On Our Own of Frederick, Inspire to Action and the Frederick Rescue Mission. We are active in the community by holding an annual Thanksgiving Drive and regular donations where needed. Although it’s not free, we do regular discounts throughout the year, for veterans (on Veterans Day), teachers on federal holidays, and we give out coupons at community events to show appreciation to the pillars of our communities. 

What do you do best? 

What we do best are Cuts and Colors! We do A LOT of them! We give new looks to those wanting a change. We touch them up when someone comes back, and we correct them when someone is unhappy with their former salon. Cuts and Colors are our “Bread and Butter”!

Frederick Chamber Insights is a news outlet of the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce. For more information about membership, programs and initiatives, please visit our website.