Celebrity Hairstylist Robert Gioria Closes Salon

Introduction - Celebrity Hairstylist Robert Gioria Closes Salon

Back in September of 2006 celebrity hairstylist Robert Gioria was full of promise for the future.  He had just opened the bright, airy, Robert G hair salon on the whimsical Commerce Street in the West Village.

Gioria had been enjoying a hiatus of approximately 5 years (since 2001) from his tenure as part of the famous Robert Kree partnership which eventually encompassed four different salons and a iconic hair care line.

Anyone who visited the Commerce Street location knew that the Robert G Salon was much more than an ordinary hair salon.  It was special in many ways.

It was a beloved West Village watering hole where neighbors, friends and clients popped in for a glass of wine a cup of tea and the opportunity to share the latest news and local gossip.  Oven-fresh treats from the bakery next door were enjoyed by clients and visitors alike.

Robert had a special love for dogs and kept wonderful treats for them at the front desk.  Every dog within a three block radius would drag their owners by for a daily biscuit.

Parents also knew that Robert G was a safe place for kids and place to drop off keys or pick up packages.

Sadly, as of March 2013, the Robert G salon has closed.  The salon fell victim to the common danger of rising real estate taxes.  Gioria is no stranger to this business practice where the landlord passes along a portion of the real estate taxes to the commercial businesses above and beyond the monthly rent.

When Gioria was at Robert Kree on Bleecker Street between Perry and Charles where he was famous for doing the hair of the late Carolyn Bessette and John Kennedy Jr. the landlord suddenly raised the rent from $10,000 per month to $50,000.  The famous Bleecker Street has since closed.

The word is  that the same thing occurred to the Robert G Salon where an exorbitant increase in rent made it impossible for the business to absorb the increased expenses.

The neighbors on Commerce Street along with the neighborhood dogs will miss their favorite charming little hair shop.

Meanwhile Robert along with stylists Dominick Bluni, Saniye Bal Anchea, Chetan Rao and Arsenio Amadis are now working behind the chair at Marie Boye Salon  located at 27 East 20th St. 212-533-3400.

Hairstylist Alan Perna who is beloved by many long time hair clients, and some of the other stylists from Robert G have relocated to the Avalon Salon on Christopher Street.