Elite Suites Salon Studios will open its first Blount County location at Foothills Mall in October, marking both the company’s third site and its first franchise location.
Owner Kim Hennessy said the Maryville build-out will be the company’s largest yet, with more than 30 suites — outpacing the 28 at West Town Mall and 23 at the original Farragut location.
Pre-leasing is set to begin within two to three weeks, with construction following Foothills Mall’s installation of new windows and storefront where the former Shoe Department store was located next to BJ’s Wholesale Club.
The franchise will be operated by Kirsten Milbourne, a nine-year tenant at the Farragut location. Her selection caps a two-year effort by Kim and her husband to develop a franchise model they hope to extend across East Tennessee and eventually into the Chattanooga and Nashville markets.
The salon-suite concept rents fully outfitted private rooms to independent beauty professionals — hairstylists, estheticians, massage therapists, medical injectors, barbers, spray-tan technicians and IV-drip providers — who set their own hours and pricing without commission splits. Elite Suites provides cabinetry, equipment, a guest-concierge team, laundry service and back-office support for marketing, accounting and licensing. Kim, a Louisville resident who previously owned a 12-chair salon and directed the local Paul Mitchell School, said she sees Maryville as a natural fit.
“Maryville has always been a good home for small businesses,” she said, citing the community’s tight-knit feel and recent growth.
