Meet Sam Chiarelli of Second Avenue Hair and Beauty in Camberwell

A hair and beauty salon has been servicing the needs of Camberwell’s community for more than 17 years.

The salon, which began operating under the name Second Avenue The Total Look Hair and Beauty, provides comprehensive hair services, including digital perming, keratin straightening, complex hair issues, colour corrections and hair extensions.

A range of beauty services are also available, including facials, SNS nails, manicures, pedicures and waxing, as well as professional beauty products and makeup.

“What we’ve tried to do is offer as broad a range of services as possible, and we’ve also incorporated specialised services,” owner Sam Chiarelli said.

Starting out

Mr Chiarelli began his career as a barber and worked part-time from the age of 14.

He always knew he wanted to work with his hands, and in 1984, he began his apprenticeship to become a ladies’ stylist.

In those early years, Mr Chiarelli worked as a perm technician and was heavily involved in the fashion side of hairdressing.

In the late 1980s, he toured Victoria educating hairdressers about the latest cutting-edge hairdressing trends.

Second Avenue Hair and Beauty in Camberwell

Heritage

Mr Chiarelli opened Second Avenue The Total Look Hair and Beauty in Box Hill in 1992. The store was named after their location on Second Avenue. Their motto was simple: to offer a professional, genuine service at a respectable price.

In 1999, they expanded to Camberwell but decided to stick with the Second Avenue Hair and Beauty brand.

“At the time there was a nice, raw buoyancy about the place,” Mr Chiarelli said.

“There was plenty of activity, but it hadn’t become as hip as what it is now.

“There was movement in Camberwell, you could feel that it was going to take off.”

People were immediately receptive to Second Avenue Hair and Beauty and the business quickly flourished and grew.

“We were a young and energetic team and it seemed to be what Camberwell needed at the time,” Mr Chiarelli said.

“When we first moved to Camberwell, we specialised in colour work and were also doing a lot of colour corrections at a reasonable price.

“We developed a reputation for that.”

In 2003, Mr Chiarelli opened a third location in Carlton, but has since downsized to concentrate solely on the Camberwell store, which has a team of six.

Contemporary hairdressing

Mr Chiarelli said he felt today’s fashion lacked the “raw innovation” of yesteryear, but the sharpness and detail had improved.

“In our day, we spent a lot more time being innovative and trying to invent and were not so concerned with the detail,” he said.

“Thirty years ago there weren’t the products available that we have today. Nowadays, one has a lot more tools to work with and the education is far better within the industry.

“Today the detail is everything and it’s absolutely magnificent.”