Julie Escobar became the fourth generation of her family to own
a small business in Hollister when she opened Tranquility Day Spa
and Salon in May.
Julie Escobar became the fourth generation of her family to own a small business in Hollister when she opened Tranquility Day Spa and Salon in May.
Housed in a 113-year-old Victorian on Sixth Street, Tranquility is a full-service day spa and salon. Escobar, 27, who has lived in Hollister her entire life, has to juggle being a business owner and a single mom, and has been in the hair styling business for 10 years.
“I just want the public to know that you don’t have to leave Hollister to relax and pamper yourself,” Escobar said.
Building owner Steve Perricone began remodeling the space in January and was approached by Escobar about opening a day spa. Once the partnership was sealed, Perricone let Escobar have full control of the design.
“I picked the colors from the outside to the inside,” Escobar said.
The Victorian’s lengthy history is a perfect match for Escobar. Her great-grandparents started a grocery in Hollister. Her grandfather, Bob Stone, still owns a butcher shop on Nash Road.
A.H. Coy built the Victorian in 1893, according to Perricone. Ambrose M. Cunning, a Supreme Court justice from Indiana, bought the house in 1897 to be close to his brother, F.A. Cunning, who owned the largest produce stand in the county. A developer bought the house and remodeled it in 1927. The Ciutto family bought the house in 1947 and owned it until Perricone bought it.
Escobar said a woman named Ida Tubbs used to tutor children in the Victorian. Some of her clients remember Tubbs.
After Escobar and Perricone agreed to a day spa in the Victorian, some serious remodeling was in order. When renovators knocked down a wall upstairs, they found magazine collages from the 1920s, one of which hangs in the upstairs hallway of Tranquility. Crews also found San Francisco newspapers from 1927 underneath the kitchen flooring, according to Perricone.
Escobar grew up with small business in her family. Balancing family time with business time and making ends meet can be difficult as a single mom, but it is worth it, Escobar said.
“I get to work for myself and it’s rewarding,” Escobar said.
Business has been steady since opening, Escobar said. Tranquility is looking for an extra hairstylist, she said.
Tranquility offers a full range of services including hair care, skin care, nail care, waxing, massages, body wraps and tanning. Stylist Tiffany Kittrell said many husbands and wives come in together or get spa packages for each other.
“We have just as many women as men,” Kittrell said.
Michael Van Cassell covers public safety for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 637-5566 ext. 335, or [email protected].
