My Montrose: Blue Mambo

1. So you just had your grand opening.

Yes. We wanted to say a big thank you to all the great, great clients and staff that have travelled with us on this amazing journey. Blue Mambo has been around for 16 years and you are only as good as the family you build around you.

 2. What do you love about Montrose?

We love the individuality that Montrose allows. Montrose is the heart of the city. Music, arts, and fashion: everything we need in our veins to feed our passion. The neighborhood allows us to create and push the envelope.

 3. What unique thing do you think Blue Mambo brings to the neighborhood?

We are a band of misfits, something we are proud of. We think perfection only comes from imperfection. We have the best family of hairdressers in the city, who in turn, attract the best family of clients. You don’t stay together for ten, fifteen and in some cases twenty years unless something is working, and working well. We also have the best spray tanning service. Samantha has worked hard to perfect her service and has amazing control of the perfect hue for you! We also have Urban Muses, an intuitive life guide. Jo Ann uses her unique ability to connect to you! Blending Eastern philosophies with the urban lifestyle. She offers a spiritual chakra tune up! Shannon offers a blissful warm oil treatment. Float on a bed for thirty minutes while the oil streams slowly over your third eye while conditioning your hair.

 4. How do you think your clients will like your new location?

We have already experienced a great response from our clients about our new space. We like to describe it as futurist industrial! We upcycled wooden factory carts into reception seating, and added a modern white plastic desk. We also mixed modern and vintage lighting. In the last two shops our biggest problem was squeezing our large family into small spaces; this time we were given enough room to actually design and decorate. Also a massive plus: we have amazing windows; everywhere we look we see treetops.

5. What’s the biggest change you have seen to Montrose in the past few years?

Obviously the growth is incredible! So much more to offer for all of us. The amount of great chefs moving into the hood bringing their individuality and amazing food. Also the fact that they use existing spaces, vastly improve their [decor] and add to the character of Montrose. We are still the most interesting “destination” in the city. [We have] great street culture. In fact, maybe the only street culture in the city. Certainly the most colorful.

6. What do you see in the future for Montrose?

We’re seeing all the new construction everywhere, bringing more people into our neighborhood to enjoy the amazing energy Montrose has to offer. The new museum additions are going to push us as always in a great direction, keeping our fingers on the pulse of life. We have loved the small spaces in Montrose that has allowed many individual shops to grow and prosper. It’s understandable that progress keeps pushing us, as long as we never lose our sense of individuality, Montrose will never lose its sense of “being.”