For Heather Bush, owner of the newly opened MyDry in Jacksonville Beach, the boutique business is all but a birthright.
Growing up in California with a mother who helmed a boutique of her own, the Los Angeles native has long been familiar with the concept of “dry bars,” a thriving new business of nontraditional salons that skip the prolonged wait commonly associated with beauty parlors in favor of quick makeup, styles and blowouts. Dry bars are an increasingly common fixture on the West Coast, and Bush said inspiration struck when she visited one in California while on an outing with her mother and sisters.
“I first thought of it last spring,” Bush said. “When we visited a dry bar boutique in Pasadena, the entire time I was thinking ‘why don’t we have this in Jacksonville?”
The beauty and boutique hybrid just made sense, said Bush, noting that the potential of a one-stop shop where customers could experience all the bells and whistles of a salon and spa experience in under an hour while browsing beauty products and accessories just steps away was a commodity sorely missed on the First Coast.
She sold the idea to her husband Brian, who was deployed on a ship at the time, and the two brought their “brainchild” to life with Mark Risser. On Dec. 9, the three brought the novelty of a standalone dry bar to the Beaches for the first time.
The result is a storefront occupying the former Pineapple Post at 2403-B 3rd St. South that houses a dry bar and boutique where Bush has created and curated affordable jewelry and brands, including selections from Los Angeles-based houses. It’s also a space where Bush’s passions intersect.
“The convenience factor is just such a huge draw,” she said. “And being able to bring all of my favorite things – beauty and fashion – together to bring something unique to Jacksonville has been amazing.”
According to Bush, the menu features experiences for everyone: In addition to traditional blowouts for straight and wavy looks, deep conditioning treatments and 10-minute neck, shoulder and scalp massages, MyDry stylists also recreate styles that complement the Beaches lifestyle – among them, styles known as “Beach Bum,” “Saltwater Babe” and “Beach Body.” Offerings also include eyelash extensions and specialized services for children 12 years of age and under.
The MyDry team has collected brands such as Amika and IGK for hair care, incorporating newer lines to match the new concept, in addition to clothing lines Jealous Tomato and Umina Jeans and Bush’s own jewelry line, Beach and Girl.
Looking Ahead
It’s been a busy year for Bush, who learned she was expecting a baby girl midway through MyDry’s development and preparation; between buying items in Los Angeles for her boutique, drafting a menu of services and watching a formerly gutted space come to life, Bush has found the whirlwind slightly overwhelming.
But Bush welcomes the unpredictability with open arms, and feels the best is yet to come.
“The most exciting thing about this entire process has been buildout,” she said. “Even before we’d finished moving in, it felt beachy – and my husband and I designed this space ourselves with a vision of exactly what I wanted it to look like and what I wanted it to be. And now it’s all coming together.”
