Early this afternoon I walked over to Blue Back Square in West Hartford. I needed to stop by Barnes & Noble. On my way over from the Raveis office, I passed a new storefront going in on Memorial Road, next to Rizzuto’s.
A bright red sign with some multi-colored graphic blocks advertises that Six Flags Rollercoaster Cuts will be occupying the space this spring. The sign and a visit to the website proclaim that it will be “a hair razing experience” with Chaos and Coasters, Cutz, Candy and Costumes with Characters and Photos. Sounds kind of like Chuck E. Cheese, with haircuts. For the safety of the children and hair dressers, I hope that haircuts are not administered while riding roller coasters…
But on a more serious note, a quick Google search reveals that the future Blue Back Square location of Six Flags Rollercoaster Cuts seems to be the only one in existence. Huh. So, this seems to be a good fit for the “unique” factor of Blue Back Square, as I know they initially tried to draw more boutique-y stores which wouldn’t overlap and cannibalize business from other retail areas in West Hartford. The success of the “unique” factor has been questioned by some, as there are several stores which do have other locations around town and most are national retail stores. At this point, I don’t know if there is any hard data which demonstrates that business has indeed been cannibalized, or if sales have remained stable and grown at the collective locations as more business has been brought into West Hartford overall.
So, what have you heard about Six Flags Rollercoaster Cuts? Any thoughts on if it will be a success? There is certainly a good base of potential customers in town and the surrounding areas. Will they flock? And what about Six Flags’ decision to expand into a completely different market? They are known for running amusement parks. Will their business acumen translate to this industry?
I overheard a Munson’s employee discussing this with someone connected to Blue Back in some way. There was concern (from Munson’s) about candy being sold at hair place. Sounds like it’s not going to be a candy boutique, so much as offer some to kids who are getting their hair cut.
They also were discussing how this store will be the first of its kind.
Kids hopped up on candy. Really conducive to good haircuts… Bless those hair stylists. 🙂
Huh? What on earth is this for? I hope they know what they are doing, because when I take my kids to get a haircut the goal is to get in and out as quickly as possible and for the lowest fee. If they charge like they do inside there parks then I already know it will be too costly for us, a middle class family. Call me stupid but I just dont see how this works.
another idiotic idea for Blue Back
Yeah, I’m not really sure how this is going to work. The website and calling the phone number provided didn’t really give much detail at all. I guess we will just have to wait and see when they open or release a press release.
I also would think that parents would want to minimize the cost and time spent on kids haircuts. Maybe this is a fun alternative for kids that absolutely hate getting haircuts? Is this going to be a birthday party type place?
So many unanswered questions…
It seems odd to try out this kind of thing when the economy is unfavorable. My mom gave me haircuts growing up. It was free and built character. Instead of the carrot of candy, we got the stick– if we wiggled around, we had to walk around with a botched haircut.
Sounds kind of cool and provides something for kids in BBS. Why be pessimistic before the fact? Give it a chance.
Saw that while at BBS last night — weird weird weird.
What I’m imagining is haircuts given by mascots (I guess because of the “character” and “costume” deal). So, the kid could go get his/her hair cut at Cost Cutters, or you could pay a 5-10 dollar upcharge to have the kid’s hair cut by Bugs Bunny, etc.
My guess is once the kid has this done once, the kid will be hooked. And I’m also guessing once the kid is hooked, 6 Flags is betting the parents will be hooked, too. Combine that with the fact that the place is a functional advertisement, and they might be on to something.
If I could be so “bold,” I might urge local parents to keep supporting local businesses, instead — Leo’s Barber Shop will take care of you!
I think it is a wonderful idea! Haircuts and characters. My kids will love it. Six Flags already has the vote of my kids. Maybe I can use my season passes to get a discount.