It’s not everyday a couple gets to talk shop at their shop.
But that’s exactly the case for Manny and Jessica Cotto, the husband and wife team behind MJ Salon in Boonton.
A community staple for five years now, the shop functions as one-part barber, one-part salon and a labor of love between the two.
Partners in life and partners in business begs the question of what came first, the marriage or the shop? That would be the marriage—years in the making and envisioned by Manny from the start.
“We met when I was 17 years old and living in Morristown,” Jessica explained.
At the time, Manny was a barber at Uptown Cutz in Morristown and Jessica was working at a pizzeria.
“He came into the pizzeria and was throwing me all the lines and giving me the business,” she said. “He said ‘don’t worry, you’re going to be my wife.’”
Little did she know that Manny’s “giving her the business” would lead to a business, but it took years of persistence to have gone the distance.
Although they both worked in Morristown and crossed paths often, it wasn’t until a chance meeting at a concert—where Manny was performing—that she finally saw him in a new light. “I said: ‘this man is haunting me.'"
The rest, you might say, is “hair-story. “Here we are 20 years, one son, and shop later,” she said. The couple are the proud parents of nine-year-old Jadiel, who is just as much a fixture of the shop as his parents.
As they each built strong, independent careers, the idea of a one-stop shop naturally emerged—proof that in the hair industry, two heads really are better than one.
“We said why are we working for other people when we could open up our own place?" Jessica recalled. “Why don’t we have a barbershop and a salon all mixed in one? It will make us unique and different.”
They threw in the scissors at their separate shops and forged forward renting a suite together on Main Street in Boonton. As an established barber, Manny brought his following, which opened doors to referrals for Jessica. In setting their sights on a bigger space and in a baton-passing moment, the couple landed their current location which was already an existing salon space.
“It just fell into our lap and we said ‘what’s the worst that could happen?’”
Besides, what’s a little customer sharing between husband and wife?
“There’s men that sometimes may want color to cover up the grays and they might not want to walk into a female salon,” she said, noting that men are typically the pickier ones when it comes to hair.
And Manny knows this firsthand. A trip to the barber requires just as much shaping and styling for men as it does for women.
“You have to be really creative in terms of the shaping,” Manny explained. “You have to consider the man’s facial features. There is an art that we put into those 30 minutes in the chair.”
That same dedication to craft is reflected in the team itself. The MJ family is growing, now including two new cosmetologists—Emma, a full-time stylist, and their newest addition, Patty, a seasoned part-time stylist with a loyal client roster of her own.
“She has clients who are in their 70s or older,” Jessica said. “She’s an old soul and a young soul at the same time.”
When Jessica and Manny are not tending to tresses, the couple can be found out in the community, performing acts of kindness that are just as much a part of their business model as a wash and cut.
“I love to give back,” Jessica said, highlighting the Boonton Women’s Club, where she provides donation boxes for back-to-school drives and donates a percentage of the salon services to support the organization.
On a more personal note, she is also hyper-vigilant about giving back to the autism community. Jessica is the legal guardian of her autistic brother and regularly recognizes the efforts of caretakers.
"Autism Awareness Month is huge for me,” she said. “I relate to it.”
Every April, she donates $5 of every service to caretakers of those with special needs. "I choose someone every year,” she said. “I just want them to know that they’re appreciated.”
In continuing their outreach efforts, the couple also regularly donates to food pantries and treats preschoolers to a salon day. They also participate in career day at John Hills School.
A business, a family and a large footprint in the community. What’s next for this entrepreneurial style-savvy lovebirds?
Bigger and bolder is on the horizon, as in a selection of established stylists and services including mani-pedis, facials, and waxing.
“This is a blessing in reality,” Manny expressed. “I never thought it was possible that when I met my wife that we would be partners like this.”
MJ Salon is located at 123A Madison St. in Boonton.
“Why are we working for other people when we could open up our own place? Why don’t we have a barbershop and a salon all mixed in one? It will make us unique and different.”