Step inside Ruby & Clover and something shifts almost right away. It’s not dramatic or overdone—it’s subtle. The lighting is soft in a way that feels natural, not staged, and the whole space carries this easy, lived-in energy. There’s no stuffy, formal front desk moment. Someone nearby will smile, say hello, welcome you in—but it feels genuine, not rehearsed. If you arrive early, you might settle into the sitting area and casually browse the mix of beauty products and small goods nearby, the kind of light, effortless shopping that just fills the time without you noticing.
“Every decision was made with intention,” the owner says. “There’s no formal greeter. Whoever is closest welcomes you, because that’s who we are. It’s not a script—it’s a culture.” And that’s exactly what it feels like—something built, not performed. You notice it before anyone ever explains it.
Ruby & Clover was never meant to feel like a typical salon. The goal was always something more personal, more familiar. “I wanted women to walk in and feel like they could exhale,” she says. “Like they’ve arrived somewhere that’s theirs—welcomed, seen, heard, and loved.” The feeling she comes back to is simple: like walking into a friend’s kitchen and finally sitting down after a long day. Comfortable, easy, real.
Of course, the work itself is anything but casual. The salon is known for precision bobs and soft, lived-in blonding—styles that require a high level of skill and attention to detail—but even that isn’t really the point.
“Hair is the vehicle,” she says. “But it was never really about the hair.”
What matters more is what happens while you’re sitting in the chair. It’s that moment where you pause, take a breath, and let someone take care of you for a little while. Conversations start naturally, sometimes light, sometimes deeper than expected. There’s a shift that happens when you feel like someone is actually listening.
“The transformation in the mirror matters,” she says. “But the transformation that happens when a woman feels truly seen—that’s what stays with her.”
You can see it when clients leave. It’s not just the hair—they carry themselves differently. A little lighter, a little more grounded.
For Andrea, opening in Rochester wasn’t about strategy. It was personal. “Rochester is home,” she says. “I can walk to work and stop by my parents’ house along the way. You can’t replicate that kind of connection with a business plan.” That sense of home shows up in how the salon runs. The people who walk in aren’t just clients—they’re neighbors, familiar faces, part of the same community.
“When you’re from the community you’re serving, it changes how you show up,” she says. “There’s a deeper level of care.”
That same grounded approach carries into how she thinks about being a woman in business. “It means being someone worth watching,” she says. “Not for recognition, but for what it might unlock in another woman.”
After nearly 30 years in the industry, multiple salon locations, and even mentoring women in Nepal—many of whom now own their own salons—her impact has stretched far beyond her own chair.
“If another woman looks at my life and thinks, ‘If she can, maybe I can,’ then it’s all worth it.”
She’s never really seen being a woman as a disadvantage. “I’ve always just walked into rooms ready to do the work,” she says. “The challenges weren’t because I’m a woman—they’re because building something is hard. For anyone.” If anything, she sees it as an advantage.
That mindset shows up in the space itself. The building is over 100 years old—and she owns it. “It takes real attention, real care,” she says. “Ownership isn’t just about being in a space—it’s about taking care of it.” It’s not always easy, but that’s part of it.
And over time, that idea of ownership became more personal too. “For a long time, I played smaller than I was,” she says. “I waited for permission that was never coming.” Eventually, something shifted. “I realized the permission was mine to give.”
Now, owning your space doesn’t feel like a big, loud moment—it’s quieter than that. It’s in the everyday decisions. “The moment you stop shrinking and start owning, everything shifts,” she says.
Inside the salon, that confidence translates into the overall energy. It’s steady, welcoming, and real. “It’s electric in the most grounded way,” she says. “When women feel safe with each other, something opens up.”
You hear it in the conversations, see it in the way people interact. There’s laughter, but there are also real moments—honest ones.
Part of what shaped that perspective was her work mentoring survivors of human trafficking in Nepal. What started as teaching hair cutting turned into something much bigger. “Many of those women now own their own salons,” she says. “It changed everything for me. It reminded me that it’s never just about the hair—it’s about what happens when someone believes you’re worth investing in.”
That belief carries into how she runs Ruby & Clover. The culture is intentionally supportive, not competitive. “There’s enough success to go around,” she says. “When women support each other, everything changes.”
That same thinking shows up in how she works with clients, too. “I listen first,” she says. “Really listen.” Because confidence doesn’t come from someone just telling you that you look good. “It comes from feeling understood,” she says. “When someone feels heard, the confidence that follows is real—and it’s theirs.”
For women thinking about starting something of their own, her advice is straightforward. “Start before you’re ready—but build it the right way.” She opened her first salon in 2006, and those early lessons shaped everything that came after. “You don’t have to figure it out alone,” she says. “Find a mentor. Learn from someone who’s done it. And then, later on, do that for someone else.”
And when it comes to risk, she doesn’t hesitate. “The risk of not trying is always greater than the risk of failing.”
She feels the same way about balance. “I think balance is a myth,” she says. “Life moves in seasons.” Some seasons require more from your business, others from your family, others from yourself. “It’s not about doing everything perfectly—it’s about being present where you are.”
At the end of the day, what Ruby & Clover really offers goes beyond the service itself. “Permission,” she says. “Permission to slow down, to be taken care of, to invest in yourself without guilt.” And in a world where most women are constantly giving to everyone else, that matters more than it might seem.
The work reflects that same balance—precision bobs that are structured and timeless, paired with soft, natural blonding that feels effortless. And then there’s the Japanese Head Spa, which takes the experience even further. “It’s not just a service,” she says. “It’s a chance to fully relax, to let go for a bit.”
And that feeling stays with you long after you leave, a quiet reminder that you too, are allowed to take up space.
“It’s built when someone feels understood. When a woman knows she’s been heard, the confidence that follows is real—and it’s hers.”