B&B Hair Color Studio owners Tim and Kate Bricker with salon coordinator Ashley Chase, apprentice Shaelyn Shire and apprentice Jillian Harer.
By Scott Morgan
Think of hairstyling as photography. Just for a moment, please. Anyone with a working camera can snap a picture. But there’s more than one world of difference between a duck-faced selfie taken at a bar and a professional photograph worthy of the cover of National Geographic.
Well, hairstyling works the same way, according to Tim Bricker, co-owner (with his wife, Kate) of B&B Hair Color Studio at 190 Witherspoon Street. Anyone with a comb and scissors could cut and style hair, just like anyone with a box of dye could color it. But there’s more than one world of difference between a hackneyed self-style and a professional styling worthy of the cover of Cosmo.
Bricker, who founded B&B 12 years ago, said the difference between a $30 haircut and a $500 haircut is about a lot more than the fame of the stylist. It’s about the training and experience a hairstylist has. Indeed, styling and coloring hair is a craft that takes years to hone. You’re not just paying for vanity when you get a great style, you’re paying for the expertise and abilities of the stylist.
A stylist for more than 14 years, Bricker‘s work has been seen in Inspire Magazine, and he has appeared on Fox’s Ambush Makeover, and TLC’s A Makeover Story.
Bricker began his creative life as “a highly educated, unemployed actor in New York,” he said. He met Kate, a psychology major from Wellesley University, and the two came across the idea of styling hair. Both were impressed by the possibilities in what is today a $94 billion a year industry.
“We got very quickly into the education side of it,” Bricker said, adding that education is a must in the hair industry, where being on the cutting edge is no mere pun. It’s what keeps you competitive.
B&B opened in Princeton and within two years became a place that trains colorists. Five years ago, the Brickers moved into training stylists too.
Last February, the salon — because, yes, you can go there to get styled for less than $100, it’s not just a training ground — moved from its longtime space on Route 206 to 190 Witherspoon Street.
The move, Bricker says, “has been worlds better. We have a lot more visibility; we have big picture windows.” The space, in fact, was designed by Princeton’s own Barbara Hillier.
B&B has also partnered with the Arrojo Academy in New York City. The academy is operated by Nick Arrojo, one of the stars of TLC’s What Not To Wear. The Brickers train their stylists and assistants in Arrojo’s methods and market the academy’s Goldwell product line. “All training goes through Nick’s salon in New York,” Bricker says. “We either go there or bring one of their master stylists in here.”
Celebrity connections aside, what separates B&B from its competitors is its small size, Bricker says. The salon employs four full-time stylists, all of whom know their customer’s names. “We’re trying to create a nice little trendy spot,” he says. “We want to stay focused and small while we grow our business.”
“I love creating the right look,” Bricker says. “It’s a joy thing. Everyone who comes in here leaves looking better.”
With humor, curiosity, and a creative zeal, his passion for the art of hair is contagious. “Focus in on what attracts your eye; chances are others will also appreciate it. Study it, refine it, and be able to duplicate it. That is what we do as hair stylists.” Tim’s passion for hair color has always been focused on what’s in fashion and creating quick, easy, wearable techniques for his salon guests.
B&B Hair Color Studio, 190 Witherspoon Street. Studio hours are by appointment Tuesday through Saturday. (609) 683-4455. bbcolorstudio.com.