K Será Salon: Designs for the future

Lori Kaye Lodes

Contributor

December 16, 2024

DE PERE – Hair and heritage co-exist at 118 N. Broadway in De Pere, the home of K Será Salon.

Owner Kimberlee Gast opened the salon in 2012 and moved it to its current location in what is known in historic circles as The Steckart and Falck Double Block in 2015.

The Double Block encompasses 112-118 N. Broadway, and Gast purchased not only the salon space but also the space rented by the SmithMaker Artisan Company and four apartments above the businesses.

Gast said the move was prompted by the opportunity to take the next step in her career trajectory.

“I had been doing hair for about seven years at that point, and it was time to take the next step in my growth,” she said. “I couldn’t find what I was looking for in a salon, and when this opportunity came up, I jumped on it. It was Butterfly Books prior, and the space needed a lot of work to transform it into a salon, but it felt like the right move.”

The several facade renovations K Será Salon has had over the past several months were recently recognized by the De Pere Historical Society, which presented Gast with the 2024 Historic Preservation Award for her restoration work.

The awards are presented for outstanding efforts to restore or preserve historic buildings in and around the City of De Pere.
“I was shocked and honored to receive the award,” Gast said. “There’s constant work and upkeep on the building, and it’s great that the Historical Society appreciates, recognizes and respects the historic buildings in downtown De Pere.”

Home historic home

Built in 1888, Gast said the Steckart and Falck Double Block is on both the national and state historic registers and is a well-known landmark in De Pere.

Upon its opening, she said the High Victorian Italianate-style commercial building accommodated the business needs of two local businessmen – John Steckart, Sr. and Jacob Falck – whose previous buildings were lost to a fire.

Steckart opened a meat market in one of the stores in his half of the building, whereas Falck operated a salon and liquor store in one of the stores in his half.

Operating a business in a building of this age, Gast said, has been a continuous learning process with each renovation project she and her husband have undertaken.

The living space/apartments on the second floor, she said, were first to receive work, starting with hers and addressing the other apartments as tenants left.

With the salon flooring on the wish list for a while, Gast said one bright spot during the COVID-19 pandemic was the opportunity to replace that.

“We definitely needed the flooring, but that turned into the inside renovation of the salon,” she said.

Gast said that included removing the stages/elevated platforms situated in front of the large front windows, as well as a change to the layout of the salon.

“The stations had a person on each side of the mirror in the middle, which worked out great after COVID because we didn’t need partitions,” she said. 

Then, it was time to tackle outdoor renovations, which Gast said – as had been the case with many of the building’s projects – started with one thing that quickly evolved into several others.

In this case, she said she wanted to replace the awnings on the front of the salon.

When they removed the old ones, she said they had intentions of refacing the front of the building where those were to put up a sign.

However, when they removed the awning and associated plywood, Gast said they revealed a window space above the doorway that was open in the original design – which she said she couldn’t bear to cover back up.

“Once that was open, I thought it looked so grand, and I would be doing a disservice to the building if I just covered it back up,” she said.

Outside renovations also included replacing the front windows and front door, swapping them for more energy-efficient ones – though Gast said that project is still not quite a wrap because the new signage still needs to be added.

In the meantime, she said she is happy to decorate those front windows for the holidays.

In addition to enjoying the historic building, Gast said she has always loved the De Pere area with its small-town vibe and “boutiquey feel,” and appreciates the support she receives from the other women-owned businesses in the downtown and beyond.

“I’m surrounded by a lot of support – there is so much support in this area,” she said. “It can be lonely being a business owner, so knowing we’re here to support and help each other grow and be successful is important.”

Gast said she is also appreciative of her mentors, her memberships in organizations such as the Wisconsin Apartment Association and, of course, her clients.

“I’m in tune with my clients – some of them I’ve had almost my whole career – and as they’re evolving, we evolve as a salon as well,” she said. 

Gast said she’s proud that K Será has had the opportunity to make its mark during its nearly 13-year tenure in downtown De Pere.
“There are a lot of salons in the area, and standing the test of time says something in and of itself,” Gast said. “I feel like that is a great achievement. I’m grateful for the team I have, and when I think of growth, I can’t wait to watch this group continue to grow together.”

More on K Será Salon

The historic backdrop, Gast said, supports the overall K Será brand.

“It’s a welcoming, up-to-date, trendy and creative space,” she said. “We have a chalkboard wall by our shampoo bowls (with messaging) that changes all the time. It’s a fun way to be creative and clients really enjoy that.”

When she opened the doors, Gast said she did so with a team of stylists and aestheticians who rented their chairs/space in the salon.

Over the years, she said that organically evolved into a hybrid of employees and renters.

Gast said she has transitioned to a different salon model in which she directly employs her staff, a move she has found works well because of her passion for ongoing education.

“I started seeing the direction I wanted the salon to go in, and we had some employees who were newer to the industry, and I wanted to help them grow,” she said. “I enjoy educating and helping people grow, so (moving to a direct employee model) felt like a better fit.”

Gast said education has taken the team to Nashville, Chicago, Miami and other destinations for hair education.

“We’re constantly keeping up with education not only for ourselves but so we can educate the client in the chair as well,” she said.

The salon’s services have evolved over the years.

Gast said what began as a salon and spa with team members offering massage, facials and nails in addition to hair services has become more centrally focused on hair.

“Today, the spa aspect is about the experience when you’re here,” she said.

Gast said the full-service salon offers a spectrum of hair services, including:

• Cuts for all ages
• Color including balayage, foilayage and all-over color
• Extensions
• Blowouts
• Specialty updos and services for special occasions

“We do a lot of cuts and colors, and some transformations, too – people just feel good when they leave,” she said. “We also do a lot of wedding parties’ hair as well, whether in the salon or traveling to them, which is a lot of fun.”

Gast said the salon recently took on a new color line that is sustainable, vegan and free of fragrance, gluten, PPD, parabens, formaldehyde and silicone, and that features 50-100% post-consumer recycled packaging.

She said it’s also Leaping Bunny certified (an indicator that shows the color line is not tested on animals) and maintains hair health during the color service, a great complement to being a Green Circle Salon for years.

“What’s nice is that it’s not only good for the clients but also for the stylists applying it,” she said. “(Moving to that color line) is one of the bigger changes we’ve recently made.”

Gast said the team’s education recently has included learning more about extensions that are more hair strand-like, which allow for more flexibility in filling in sparse areas. 

“They’re individual hair strands that are bonded to natural hair and cured with a UV light, making the bonds almost invisible,” she said. “It is a natural look. It’s a great option for fine hair or if you need to fill in an area with hair.”