Primp Mobile Beauty Founder Rhian Richard dolls you up at your doorstep.
Her unconventional salon relies on a trailer to transport stylists and their tools to neighborhoods around Jacksonville and St. Johns County rather than operating out of a brick-and-mortar location.
Her idea for the mobile salon came from her own frustration with the long commutes she faced to get to her prior hairdressing gigs.
With more than 25 years in the beauty industry, she most recently worked at a salon near Jacksonville Beach. Living near RiverTown neighborhood, she often schlepped more than 30 miles each day to her job.
She assumed that other local women felt the same frustration—driving across the city for a salon appointment that, with traffic, could take over an hour.
“We really cater to our clients and their busy lives, by going to their neighborhoods,” Richard said.
The salon on wheels is one of the first of its kind in the region. Richard said she had heard of a traveling barber in the area, but her services go far beyond basic trims. In addition to haircuts, styling and color, Primp offers skincare, waxing, brow tints and tanning.
Richard is currently working on franchising the Primp brand and hopes to sell her first franchise next year.
Her team of beauty brokers includes three stylists, a spray tan specialist, an esthetician and an assistant.
Clients can book appointments through Primp’s website, where the team posts the trailer’s schedule two months in advance, and walk-ins are welcome when possible..
“We wanted to be able to offer beauty services close to our clients,” Richard said, appealing to St. Johns residents juggling busy schedules.
The mobile salon regularly parks at the amenity centers of large neighborhoods in the county. Beachwalk, Trailmark and Beacon Lake are frequent stops for the Primp team, and the trailer also visits Majestic Oak Parkway and the RiverTown RiverHouse.
That curb appeal, Richard believes, will soon take Primp to new heights.
