Family Business in Washington Township, New Jersey (NJ) run by Chris Angelastro, and Chris Moore

Chris Angelastro

Chris Moore

A lot of entrepreneurs throw around the words "family business." These words have heft. They imply meaning, substance, and tradition. Too often, however, they are mottoes in name only--spoken, but never felt; believed, but never lived.

At Salon Christopher the words "family" and "business" stand side-by-side, and there is truth in them. When Chris Angelastro and Chris Moore speak of their expertise, their goals, and the importance of family in their lives, there's more there than a thin promise crafted only to be pleasing.

"The most important thing I learned from my father was how to treat people," Angelastro says. "My father was a great man, a great guy to work for, and a great guy to work with. He loved his family and he worked hard."

It was at his father's Woodbury salon that Angelastro spent his formative years learning to turn a buck by sweeping up, landscaping, even shining shoes. After earning his license from P.B. Cosmetology School in Gloucester City, Chris spent ten years navigating the ins and outs of the family business. When his father retired and sold the building, Angelastro continued his education at Rizzieri's for the next 12 years.

"At Angelastro's, I was the top cat," Chris says. "At Rizzieri's, there were ten of me. It humbled me in a big way, but I learned how to run a salon like a tight ship."

Chris joined the Rizzieri's education team as a senior creative stylist, twice traveling to Aveda Congress, a week of education, shows, and seminars where he spoke and cut hair before audiences of thousands.

Rizzieri's was also where Chris met his business partner, Salon Christopher co-owner, Chris Moore. Like Angelastro, Moore had hit a professional plateau after 15 years at Rizzieri's, and was waiting for the opportunity to strike out on his own.

"I wanted the freedom to lead the daily operations of a salon the way I saw it," says Moore. "Now I make decisions for my own business and I have confidence in them.

"I walk a lot taller," he says.

The Chrises were a winning combination almost from the beginning, and have navigated their two-year partnership without so much as an argument.

"We both want the same thing, and there is no place in it for ego," says Angelastro. "Our concept for Salon Christopher has always been client-driven. We've been on the same page since the get-go."

Customer satisfaction is the most critical component of service at Salon Christopher. Angelastro and Moore offer no pretense when they say that clients are family to them. The remarkable hospitality they offer underscores that commitment.

"There's a reason we say our guests are family," says Moore. "You draw your strength from family. The door is always open for family. That's the kind of personal interest we have in each of our clients. It's why they choose Salon Christopher."

As stylists, Moore and Angelastro take genuine interest in their clients. Equal parts psychiatrist, philosopher, and personal consultant, their attention to detail truly distinguishes the service they deliver.

"Every person who sits in your chair, you've really got to listen to what they say, focus on who they are, and read them objectively," says Angelastro. "The biggest thing is making sure people are comfortable and enjoying their time while they're here."

Attentiveness and service are a formula for certain success, but they are the hallmark of Salon Christopher because every member of the staff shares these values.

"Our staff are hired because they want to be successful," says Moore, "and that shines through in the service they deliver."

Angelastro puts it a different way. "How you look is our business," he says.

Family business.