By Lauren Johnson

Melanie Enzor Barnes Ross along with her partners Mary Alice Helms and Paige Gray are working together to make their dreams a reality. 

Mel’s Master Salon & Studio is expanding into the building space in front of the salon where the Pink Leopard was located.

Ross, Helms, and Gray plan to add tanning beds in the Salon. In the new space, they are planning to open a boutique and an eatery.

“It’s really Melanie’s dream. Before she even opened the Salon, she always wanted to cook. The food is her baby, the boutique is Paige’s baby, and we’re adding the tanning beds, which is more my thing,” said Helms.

The boutique will have clothing for men and women as well as different kinds of gift items. The eatery will be a type of deli, offering sandwiches, hamburgers, hot dogs, salads, and different desserts.

“Sometimes people are in the salon for a couple of hours or more and they get hungry. We eat out every day, so it will be beneficial for everyone,” said Ross.

There will be permanent items on the menu as well as daily features or high light items. These daily features will be posted each day on the Mel’s Too Facebook page.

“We also hope to have a daily homemade ice cream flavor that will be first come first serve, and it will also be posted on Facebook,” said Ross.

Wanting to make ordinary items with a fun twist, Ross explained that all the food items will have a name referencing hair or beauty terminology. “For example, tune salad will be called a mullet. If you want it layered then you want to add lettuce, tomatoes, mayonnaise, and a pickle.”

“We’re hoping to open the boutique part by next week and the eatery is just going to depend on the pluming and other technical things,” said Helms.

These three ladies want to be able to provide a space for events like baby showers, small groups, clubs, or business groups through reservations.

Besides reservations they also want to welcome anyone in the community to come and enjoy a meal with their neighbor while sitting at a large table.

“We’re calling it the community table,” Helms explained. “We really want people in the community to come and eat and sit down with people they wouldn’t normally sit down with.”

“We also wanted to offer for Troy, for the university, and for the community of businesses here, another option besides eating fast food everyday or having to drive on 231 during lunch time,” Ross added.

Business offices will be able to call in for food or groups can come in and enjoy their breakfast or lunch break.

Ross explains that she has always been a long-term thinker. “Long before Mel’s Master Salon was born, it was in my head and in my heart to open a restaurant, even down to the decorations and the style.”

“We hope that it adds to the community and gathers people together, whether it’s college students, the elderly, or a family,” Ross added.

The two businesses, Mel’s and Mel’s Too, will be two separate entities, two separate businesses under the same umbrella. There will be a joining door between the two spaces for costumers to have easy access to both.

“This is not just for people who are getting their hair done and it’s not just for the community out there. It’s for everybody,” said Ross.

Ross, Helms, and Gray said that they don’t do anything unless they know their footsteps are being led and guided by God. With the desire in their hearts and the opportunity to purchase the extra space, they decided to pursue it as three heads working together.