It’s been a crazy couple of years for Tammy Hamilton and her salon, Rootz Studio.
In late 2021, Tammy moved her Main St. studio into her new location at 108 Milll St – the former building of Dr. Vomastek and Farm Bureau. After purchasing the building in December of 2021, she began renovations and opened her studio in February of 2022.
“We bought it in December, and began renovations immediately,” Hamilton said. “We got settled in after the renovations, and on August 28 [2022] the fire hit.”
The August 28th fire began in the adjacent Smitty’s Diner, and spread into the studio.
“Todd and I were sitting here in our pajamas watching TV,” Hamilton said. “About 10 o’clock at night, I got a text, and then Todd’s phone rang. It was my cousin saying that the shop is on fire, and then Todd got the phone call from my cousin Darren confirming that it was in fact a fire down there.”
Tammy and her husband Todd immediately drove to the shop to assess the damage.
“We left to go down there, and the fire department, police, everyone was down there,” Hamilton said. “How devastating. We were standing up on the hill by the [gas station] watching. You’re helpless. Watching everything I’d just done [get destroyed].”
While the August 28th fire caused a lot of damage – especially to Smitty’s – firefighters prevented the studio from being a complete loss.
“We got a lot of smoke damage, some water damage,” Hamilton said. “Our biggest feat was the smoke; we had to rip ceilings and walls and insulation.”
And immediately after the fire, the Hamilton’s – once again – began renovations.
6 months later, Rootz Studio once again opened their doors to the public. This time around, their shop is offering more services than ever.
Hair. Permanent makeup. Eyeliner and eyebrows. Nails. Message Therapy. Internal Medicine and Aesthetics. And soon, tanning.
“We have Breanna Quin, she’s our nail technician,” Hamilton said. “I have a message therapist, Carly Williams. Pam [Grant] from Teasers. While I was down, Pam let me work out of her salon until mine was rebuilt. I had started my hair journey, in the ‘80s, working for Pam. So Pam figured she’d come finish out her career with me, so she’s working at my salon now. And we’ll have tanning soon.”
“I have Dr. Yassir Attalla, he’s an internal medicine doctor, and he also practices aesthetics. He does Botox, fillers, Juvéderm [among others].”
On Friday, May 12th, Rootz Studio will host a grand reopening ceremony from 3 pm until 7 pm, open to the public.
And hopefully – after renovations and a fire and more renovations – for Tammy and Rootz Studio, this will be the last reopening needed for a while.