hankering for the good old days when getting a cut meant an afternoon of gossip, hair tips and good natured razing recently inspired a trio of East Vancouver ladies to create the East Vanity Parlour; a little salon with bouffant-size charisma. Located at 46 Kingsway in the space formerly occupied by vintage shop Love Rosa (which was amalgamated into the parlour and still exists on the lower level of the space), East Vanity was born of a desire to infuse a little fun into the too-cool-for-school world of modern hair.

“It’s a chill little place,” said co-owner, Kim Johnson, who runs the joint with Rose Doiron and Kristi Johanson. “Our friend Kristi needed to put her salon somewhere, and we partnered up because the combination is a great idea - ladies can get their hair done and pick out some clothes in one shot…besides, it’s fun to work with friends.”

With seven years of hair experience under her belt, head stylist Johanson opted for running her own business in lieu of joining an established salon to ensure clients got the best of what she and her three stylists have to offer. “The vibe we wanted to have here is more beauty parlour than salon,” said Johanson. “I personally love beauty parlours. I love a place where you can go and hang out with the girls and get pretty. It’s not stark white and modern and snooty; people can drop by anytime and get dolled up.”

East Vanity runs the gamut when it comes to men’s and women’s cuts and colours, and for a little extra twist, hit Johanson up for one of her signature period updos. And while she may be a vixen when it comes to backcombing and the beehive, don’t expect to be left with an impossible-to-maintain style when you leave. “I personally specialize in anything extravagant and old time, but I like to be able to train people to style their own hair,” she said. “A lot of people leave salons looking fantastic but don’t know how to make it look that way when they get home, and the flat iron isn’t for everybody so I try to dress people’s hair so it’s easy for them to do themselves and have fun with it.”

Located next door to Budgies Burritos, and just down from Our Town Café and Queen Bee Accessories, East Vanity Parlour is open Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays; and opens a little bit later than 10 a.m. on Sundays and Mondays to allow appropriate sleep-in-hangover-time. -S.H.

46 Kingsway
Vancouver, BC
604-637-1122