Salon owner aims to build Aveda Institute in Andover

Salon owner and entrepreneur Sami Halaseh is scheduled to go before the Andover City Council Tuesday night seeking up to $3.5 million in taxable industrial revenue bonds in order to build an upscale beauty school on Andover Road, between Central and 13th Street.

Halaseh said Monday that the project will be a 20,000-square-foot branch of the Aveda Institute, but declined further comment.

There are 64 Aveda Institutes, but none in Kansas, according to the Aveda company website. The schools offer instruction in cosmetology, skin care, massage therapy, nail care and makeup.

Andover mayor Ben Lawrence said Halaseh has been in discussion with the city for a couple years about the project, and has had difficulty pulling it together as costs have risen.

Lawrence said Andover officials are excited about the project.

“We’ve seen the preliminary drawings,” he said. “It’s a beautiful building and we’re looking forward to the construction.”

This story was originally published December 8, 2014 at 5:22 PM with the headline "Salon owner aims to build Aveda Institute in Andover."