A vision in pink, Maribou Salon stands out among the businesses on Folsom’s Historic Sutter Street as a testament to what local connections can do to help recreate an old space. When the building on the 800 block of Sutter Street, originally home to Sutter Street Grill, came on the market in 2021, the owners of Maribou Salons, Jill and Larry Cromwell, decided it was the perfect place to expand their already growing business. This newest location to the Maribou Salon family, located in the heart of Historic Folsom, opened in December 2021, and has flourished ever since.
“It was a well-known space. I was a little nervous about what people would think about something new coming in. We had a really positive reaction from the community,” said Jill Cromwell, owner of Maribou Salons.
From the old restaurant booth that they kept for the breakroom, to the good luck horseshoe found during construction, touches of the old favorite brunch spot continue to be seen around the salon. Cromwell says after finding the original building plans in the basement, their team tried to preserve as much of the space as they could while also fitting the needs of the salon. "The past owners of the restaurant came by during construction and loved how the space was being transformed.”
Jill Cromwell rallied with her friends and other local business owners to help her creative vision come to life. With the help of designers Melinda Araj, Designing Dreams Flooring & Remodeling, Mercado Construction & Design, and FaGalde Interior Design, the salon’s pink exterior, modern finishes, and unique old town roots came together in under a year.
“The team was easy to work with, open to ideas, and had great taste. They helped us stick to our budget and timeline,” said Cromwell. Randy Mintz, owner of Designing Dreams Flooring, commented on the collaborative project saying, "We bring your vision to life and so does Maribou Salons." Designing Dreams Flooring & Remodeling have worked on multiple Maribou locations including this newest one on Sutter Street.
Cromwell says that while her husband, Larry, focuses on leading the team, she focuses on the creative side of the business, which leads to the powder-pink exterior, mid-century modern touches, and the neon pink angel wings on the back wall in the salon. “I wanted the building to stand out and I love pink. I wanted the windows to be open and for the view from the outside to look like a jewelry box looking in. We came up with a vision that was going to be edgy, bright, and open,” said Cromwell.
Cromwell says this could not have come together without the help of her friends and the local business community working together on the project. “It made it so fun to create this vision with my friends and other local business owners. They were able to help us in a timely manner. It’s been really fun to be on Sutter Street, our staff loves it, and our clients love it. We love being able to support local businesses too”.
