Hairstylists are considered to be among the happiest of professionals. Perhaps it’s because they spend their days making others look even more beautiful, or maybe it’s because they have the opportunity to unleash their creative side.
It could also be that they work in a sociable environment, where they become friends and confidantes to clients. It’s these relationships that have encouraged seasoned stylist Fouad Eid to keep running his small business in a downtown that’s been lacking lustre in recent years.
Fouad launched C’est Fou Blow Dry Bar in 2011, just a few years after his arrival in Canada. He’s originally from Lebanon but left the Middle East to escape the region’s general instability.
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The name C’est Fou translates from French to mean “That’s crazy” in the most exciting sense of the expression. Fou is also short for Fouad.
The salon is tucked away on the main floor of an office tower located on the northwest corner of Slater and Kent streets. It’s an area that would have been bustling with public servants when it made its debut.
Fouad is everything you might expect of a hair salon owner: polished, confident, expressive, charismatic and amicable. “I can gossip with you, I can be the listener, I can also be the safe,” Fouad says while mimicking the action of closing a zipper over his lips.
In 2014, C’est Fou was named Ottawa top blow dry bar in a Maclean’s magazine article, which can be seen framed and hanging at the entrance of the salon. It remains Ottawa’s premier blow dry bar, Fouad asserts with confidence.
Fouad says his business aligns perfectly with his customers’ busy lives, and understands the pressure they face to look their best. He’s known for styling the hair of cabinet ministers, political journalists, lobbyists and Parliament Hill staff. To have attracted so many VIPs over the years fills him with pride. “It’s not something I take for granted.”
The seasoned stylist makes the argument that, when it comes to boosting a person’s appearance, there’s no bigger bang for the buck than a good blowout. “This is the power of instant change. For just $50 and 30 minutes, you leave here feeling like a million bucks.”
For years, Fouad and his small team were incredibly busy, starting work at sunrise and styling nine or 10 clients before the mid-morning coffee break. Their bustling routine was disrupted, however, by the three-year-long pandemic, along with the turbulent truckers’ and federal public servants’ protests in 2022 and 2023, respectively.
Downtown foot traffic has drastically dwindled due to fewer commuting office workers, particularly public servants. They previously made up 40 per cent of Fouad’s clientele.
While business at C’est Fou has improved, it still remains 30 per cent below pre-pandemic levels, not that Fouad is complaining. “We’re still here,” he said crediting the federal government for helping him to remain operational.
Last month, Fouad successfully repaid his $60,000 loan from the Canada Emergency Business Account (CEBA). He only had to repay $40,000 because he met the mandatory deadline of Jan. 18. However, it’s worth noting he had to secure a personal loan to settle his government loan. “We’re not out of the woods yet.”
The CEBA program was available April 9, 2020 to June 30, 2021, providing $49 billion in interest-free, partially forgivable loans of up to $60,000 to nearly 900,000 small businesses and not-for-profit organizations to help cover their operating costs during the pandemic.
Fouad also has his clients to thank for their loyalty and generosity. When his business was at its lowest, amidst provincewide pandemic shutdowns and ongoing restrictions, Fouad had customers offering to e-transfer funds they would have typically spent at his salon. One woman even personally handed him an envelope of cash. To his surprise, the envelope contained $700. He initially thought her gesture was a mistake, like absent-minded Uncle Billy from the classic film It’s a Wonderful Life.
The way Fouad sees it, the worst of his bad hair (salon) days are behind him. He’s looking ahead to a healthier, shinier future. He’s actively seeking to restore his business to past levels by introducing new services and by continuing to expand his customer base. “We are hoping that we can get back to 100 per cent.”
The entrepreneur is also working with Wissam Yahya, whose expertise as a colour specialist is key to new plans to incorporate a colour bar for busy professionals on the go.
As well, C’est Fou is catering to a growing number of visiting out-of-town professionals in need of a refresh wash and blowout, whether it’s for a big meeting, to make legal arguments in a federal courtroom or to speak before a conference full of delegates.
Whatever the future holds for downtown Ottawa, Fouad said he’s committed to staying where he is, and has no interest in relocating outside the city’s core. “We’re dedicated to investing in our roots here.”
caroline@obj.ca
