New Ruston Business: Urban Oasis

I recently got to meet one of the owners of our newest business in Ruston, Joseph Atkinson. He's already signed up as the secretary for the business district, and friends who have had their hair cut at the salon all have great things to say. Stop in to say hello! Here are their answers to the same series of questions I'm asking all the local businesses. ~ Karen

1. When did you get started? What is your background prior to this business? My wife Soda and I opened up Urban Oasis in July and have been in business for over two months. My wife has been in the beauty business for three years and takes pride in making people look and feel good. Me, I’m a WA state licensed bail agent, and a senior at UW Tacoma. We are both very hard working people.

2. Describe what your business is/does. As a full service salon our services include haircuts, styling, perms, pedicures and manicures, waxing, facials, nail art design, hair coloring, highlights, and all other salon services.

3. What motivated you to open a business? It has always been our dream to open a business; now was simply the right time and right location. We noticed our building for lease when walking with our one year old son and knew right away that this was a one-time opportunity to be in a great area near to home. We love the freedom associated with running our own business.

4. Why did you locate here? We located here in Ruston primarily because of the close proximity to our home which is about a five-minute walk from our salon. Aside from that we like this area because of the people. It is safe, and there is a strong community feel.

5. How would you describe your success? What are your primary markets? Being open for two months we have been doing better than expected. We attribute our success to the great area we are in, and the outstanding residents. Our primary markets include the town of Ruston and North Tacoma. We aim to serve the residential area near our salon.

6. Any plans to expand or are you satisfied with your current operation? Currently we are satisfied, but if our business does well we may consider opening a second location in Pt. Ruston when the development is completed.

7. What has the business district done for your business and for the local businesses as a whole? What do you see as the primary goals for the district over the next year? Though I am not familiar with many of the past activities of the business district, I can appreciate all the work the district has done to create a favorable and safe location for running a business. In my view the district should work on making the area look better by adding planters, setting up crosswalks, hanging flags, and creating a safe environment for citizens to walk and hang out. This would help unify and identify the area to people passing by as the Ruston Business District. The district should also advocate unification through increased commercial zoning.

8. Anything else you think folks would like to know? We are just happy to be in this great area, and we hope people will come and try us out. My wife is talented, a great listener, and is always adamant about taking the time to do things right by the customer’s standards.