At a time when Old Cutler Road construction work has caused fewer customers to visit area businesses, Kathy McMillan and Tiffany Kuboske decided to tackle the problems of boredom and reduced income at their current job head-on by launching a new business in spite of the difficulties.
“I was sitting there and I told one of the girls, Barbara, that I wanted to get another job because it’s really slow here right now,” McMillan said. “I decided to ask one of the girls who works with me if she wanted to partner up and open a tanning salon, and she said ‘yes,’ so we just went for it.
“With the road shut down, it’s going to be a rough start, but hopefully once the road gets beautified and finished it will pick up. The road will be nice when it’s done, and I hope we get all the business back that we used to have.”
McMillan is the owner of Rodbenders Rawbar at 20400 Old Cutler Rd. in Cutler Bay, right next door to the new business, the Tan It Up Salon and Boutique. Their first day was Monday, June 10. She thinks the venture is a good contrast to the seafood restaurant and bar.
“We have clothes, jewelry, bikinis, everything,” McMillan said. “We opened this morning, and then we’re going to have a grand opening probably in two or three months. We have personally airbrushed spray tans, and we have stand-ups where you walk in and you get tanned. The walkin is like a capsule. It has UV lights that tan you all around.”
Kuboske, McMIllan’s business partner, was well acquainted with conditions on Old Cutler Road because she works at Rodbenders four nights a week as a bartender. She said she was happy to take on this new challenge, and has experience that helps.
“I’m very excited,” Kuboske said. “I’ve always been into fashion and ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to own my own store. So when I had the opportunity to partner with Kathy I was super excited about it. When I was in college I worked for a tanning salon for a couple of years.”
McMillan said that the ongoing road improvement project has given them time to get things up and running. She also enjoyed using her creative talents for the store’s look.
“It’s taken us six months to open,” McMillan said. “We’re hoping that people will start to come in and we’ll be fine. It will give me something to do during the daytime, that’s for sure. It’s really pretty. I decorated the whole thing. I made all the decorations.”
The Tan It Up Salon and Boutique is located at 20410 Old Cutler Rd. and is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday. It’s closed on Sundays.
For information call 786-732-0425.
