Linda Nguyen (left) is the new owner of Sison Salon, taking over from Toni Davies (right), whose family ran the Orinda institution for 44 years.
For more than four decades, Sison Salon has been a cornerstone of downtown Orinda – a place where haircuts came with conversation and clients became family. Now, after more than 40 years of shaping the community’s style, longtime owner Toni Davies (maiden name Sison) is passing the shears to a new generation.
Snip-snip.
After her father and sister retired in 2015, Davies became sole proprietor of the family salon, continuing the business successfully for another decade. On Oct. 1, though, she sold the salon to Linda Nguyen, marking the end of a 44-year family legacy that began as a three-way partnership with her, her father and sister – and the start of a new chapter.
“I’m most proud that our family has been a success in the Orinda business community for nearly 44 years,” Davies said. “It’s been so rewarding to have had the freedom to make the salon our own and now see it continue in good hands.”
A family dream realized
The Sison family’s story began with Davies’ parents, Mario and Arlis Sison, whose idea of a family-run salon took shape in 1981. At the time, Davies and her sister, Charlotte Peebles, were in their 20s and working at various salons across Lamorinda. Their mother suggested they unite their talents and learn the business side under their father’s guidance.
“My dad was in a partnership at Coiffeur Hut in Orinda,” said Davies, who lives in Pleasant Hill. “She thought we would all benefit from working together and my dad could teach us the ropes of how to operate the business.”
Charlotte and Davies opened Sison Salon on Nov. 3, 1981, while Mario worked next door, ready to lend a hand.
“It was a good plan,” she said. “We had to get along and work out the kinks of working together as business partners before my dad joined us in March.”
From bouffants to blowouts
Though Davies never initially planned to become a hairdresser, her artistic and mathematical side found harmony in hairstyling.
“I entertained the idea of hairdressing as a fallback plan,” she said. “Once I started, I never looked back. Since I always loved geometry and art, it seemed like a natural way to combine the two.”
After graduating from Walnut Creek’s Del Valle High School in 1975, she trained at the prestigious Vidal Sassoon Training Center in San Francisco, apprenticed at its Grant Avenue salon, and later attended the Vidal Sassoon Academy in London. Her first professional job was at Hair by Dallas and Richard in Lafayette, where she worked for more than four years before opening Sison Salon.
A child of the 1950s and ‘60s, Davies watched the evolution of women’s hairstyles firsthand.
“Back then, it was the day of bouffant hairdos,” she said. “Clients would make their weekly visit, sit under the dryer with rollers and avoid exercise or swimming because they didn’t want to mess up their hair. Modern hairstyles have given women so much freedom and promoted healthier lifestyles. I’m so happy to have been part of that movement.”
A salon with a soul
Over the decades, Sison Salon became more than a beauty destination – it became a community hub. Clients often ran into neighbors, colleagues or old friends while waiting for their appointments.
“I’ve sometimes compared our salon to the TV sitcom ‘Cheers’,” Davies said, laughing. “People come in and end up running into someone they know. The Orinda community is such a special place.”
Longtime client Joyce Hawkins, who’s been coming to Toni for more than 40 years, said the reason she keeps returning is simple.
“Toni excels at her job,” said Hawkins, who moved to Orinda from San Francisco with her husband when her boys were two. “They’ve always had a committed clientele who have been going to Sison for a very long time.”
Peter Read, another client who’s been with the Sison family for more than half a century, first came to the salon when Toni’s father Mario was behind the chair.
“Mario had a kind warmth and a wonderful sense of humor that made you look forward to your haircuts,” said Read, who has lived in Orinda since he was six years old. “That’s part of his daughters’ DNA – it made for a happy break in my workday. Warm, inviting, clean and happy – that’s how I’d describe the atmosphere.”
Stories that stick
Davies’ career has no shortage of memorable moments. One client once told her he met President Joe Biden at a White House reception. When they shook hands, Biden quipped, “If I had your hair, I would’ve been elected 10 years earlier.”
“I thought, darn, I should have armed him with one of my business cards,” Davies said with a grin.
Then there was the time a turkey wandered into the salon just before Thanksgiving.
“It made itself at home on top of our upper cabinetry,” she said. “We tried calling animal control, but no one came. So we had to take matters into our own hands. I started shaking the cutting capes like a matador to encourage it toward the door. Thankfully, it flew out without breaking a mirror!”
Resilience and renewal
The salon’s success hasn’t been without challenges. After 14 years at its first location, a dispute with a landlord over a leaky roof forced the family to relocate.
“We were given 30 days’ notice,” Davies said. “But it turned out to be the best thing we could’ve done. We moved in three months and never looked back.”
More recently, the COVID-19 shutdowns tested her resilience. “We installed dividers, adjusted for social distancing – and then had to close again,” she said. “But our landlord helped me weather the storm. I’ll be forever grateful.”
Flooding from nearby San Pablo Creek once posed problems, too, but the landlord addressed the issues quickly. Through it all, Davies’ love for her craft and her clients never wavered.
“Helping people look and feel their best, and perhaps brighten their day a little, is a reward every day,” she said. “The salon has been a constant learning experience. My clients have been wonderful teachers about the ups and downs of life.”
Passing the torch
New owner Linda Nguyen, a stylist from Hayward, said she immediately connected with Davies and the salon’s legacy, especially since she came from a family in the same industry – her brother owned a salon in Novato for 16 years.
“When I first met Toni, I discovered that she had been co-managing the family business for many years, demonstrating a remarkable work ethic that immediately resonated with me,” said Nguyen. “In addition, I strive to maintain the same strong ethic that she and her family have developed. More importantly, her long-standing client relationships, spanning for many years. It really shows me the exceptional service and dedication she provided. It speaks volumes about her character. And that’s what drew me into investing in Sison Salon.”
It was a match from the get-go.
“Toni and I quickly discovered numerous commonalities from our first meeting,” she said. “We felt like we knew each other for a long time. We even laughed about how we could’ve been business partners.”
Nguyen said she plans to honor the salon’s history while introducing new energy.
“I plan to preserve the core value of the salon by carrying on the history, mission and quality that makes it unique, but also fostering new growth to my team,” she said.
Nguyen and her husband decided to keep the salon’s original name as a tribute to the family legacy.
Looking ahead
Davies will remain at the salon part-time for the next year to help Nguyen transition and continue serving longtime clients.
“I’d like to still be around to celebrate the shop’s 45th anniversary,” she said. “My husband and I are looking forward to traveling, gardening and just enjoying the simple pleasures.”
As she reflects on a lifetime of hairstyling, community and connection, Davies said the secret to her success has always been simple.
“Take your time finding the right location and the right people. Always put your client’s best interest first and keep educating yourself,” she said. “Be kind and say thank you to everyone – including the people who service our salon every day, such as our mail carrier,” she said.
For Davies, Sison Salon has been more than a workplace – it’s been a second home.
“It will probably be almost as hard for me not to see my clients as it is for them not to see me,” she said. “I’ll miss my work, but I’m so grateful for this next chapter and to know that the Sison name will live on.”
Visit sisonsalon.com to wish Toni Davies a happy next chapter, give a warm Orinda welcome to new owner Linda Nguyen, and while you’re at it, to book your next snip-snip.
