GALLERIES

    The CUT Blog

    Events, news, and happenings around the studio

    March 9, 2023

    Spring 2023

    The days are stretching and the sun is shining. Aren’t you grateful for the season of spring? Knowing those rainy days aren’t in vain make it all worth it… In a few short weeks we will begin to see our New Jersey landscape make that magical transformation from the dead of winter to growing the lush green buds on the trees and new life across the ground.

    I love to start these blogs sentimental with some cute philosophical analogy and relate it to hair, I can’t help it, no matter how cheesy it is the parallel is unavoidable.

    When we see how beautiful the earthly transformation is, I feel like it sets us up for all areas of our lives. Spring cleaning, prepping gardens, putting our winter clothes away and bringing out the summer clothes… it’s all about change, out with the old and in with the new.

    Funny how people say “new year, new you” when the clock strikes midnight on January 1 because I don’t know about you, but for me I’m not motivated to get out and do anything when it’s 20 degrees and gloomy outside. With this new season here ahead of us it invigorates me to move more, start new projects and pursue change.

    (Okay here’s where the hair part comes in!) We’ve been cooped up all winter and it’s a total downer on our energy levels, motivation, and our pasty skin tone 💁🏼‍♀️. I absolutely LOVE extreme hair transformations, but I think this year it’s more about subtle kisses of blonde or caramel tones, removing bulk from haircuts rather than getting extremely shaggy and chopped up layers.

    I recently went to get my hair done while on maternity leave when I was out in California. I have two friends who are a power duo – Tim & Tabitha Duenas who cut and color out of a cute little studio in West Hollywood. It was a pleasant surprise when my husband, Peach, scheduled me a day session with them. I came into that appointment thinking I wanted one thing, but after a great consultation and talking it through with them, my change was subtle but made a huge impact. Tim ended up leaving my layers longer, removing the weight on top and keeping my locks long so I still felt like myself, but a lighter, more mature version. Tabitha understood where I wanted to go, and how I like my color to look and gave me a very soft, slightly brighter version of what I had, cleaning it up and balancing my color more. One thing Tim spoke about his wife was that she specializes in making hair look expensive. I am literally taking that one to the grave with me. As I jump back behind the chair this spring I really want to focus my attention on making hair look expensive, making all my clients feel a whole new high-end level of beauty. That’s the professional change I’d like to see be created with my hands when you come visit the hair studio and see me or anyone on my team for that matter.

    I’m eager, I’m ready and the passion is flowing this season. My books might look a little different, taking fewer clients each week, delegating tasks while I also have the new honor of raising my (almost) 3 month old daughter. However, I know that a passion this strong is contagious and will infect my whole team at CUT. So even if you’re not in my book this season, I encourage you to sit in the chair of one of my team members. All of my designers are so talented and eager to serve you!

    What change do you want to see this spring? A subtle tweak may be all you need. Trust your designer – we will make sure that your hair fits you in whatever season of life you’re stepping into so you’re confident and can bloom and grow in other areas of life.

    Danielle Hardy

    READ MORE
    October 17, 2022

    October 16

    Wow! We made it. Happy 10th Birthday CUT! Hope you joined us in some of our celebrations and giveaways we did both online and in person (and maybe you were lucky enough to win some prizes).

    Our team at CUT wants to personally thank each and every one of you. Whether you’ve been getting your hair done here the entire ten years we’ve been open or you just had your first visit this year, we’re so grateful for you choosing us. Coming this far has only been possible with the support of our clients.

    Back in 2012 we (Peach & Danielle) had a dream that set forth as we signed the lease for CUT on a small side street in Flemington. The space was different from any other hair studio we’ve ever been in but saw right away what it could be. Signing that lease and fitting out that space was a challenge in itself. CUT actually opened on my (Danielle’s) 25th birthday. Our mentality was like, “alright, if we don’t make it and lose all our investment at least we’re young enough to recover and start something new”. Ten years later this isn’t the case at all. Our studio is has been rated best haircut 8 years in a row, been published in numerous online and paperback publications, we’ve trained with some of the industries finest and most talented hair designers in the world and are one of the most recognized hair studios in Hunterdon County.. being booked out several weeks at a time for all our designers across the board. It’s been an incredible journey and so fun to provide a comfortable, innovative, luxury hair studio in a small community like Flemington. We are so blessed and look forward to the future and whatever that holds for us. We honestly cannot dream big enough for that!

    Regardless of what’s ahead, we thank you for what’s behind us. You’ve helped us grow and get to where we are and we hope you see and feel the love and appreciation we have for you, our client. Thank you for all the hair appointments, retail purchases, referrals, positive reviews and more that made this husband and wife’s dream come true. Your support didn’t stop at CUT.. it also branched over to our sister company HARDYS Coffee Bar (you know.. that delicious craft beverage you get to enjoy complimentary during your hair appointment) and allowed us to grow that business and our coffee roaster as well. As I write these words, my heart is full of gratitude and joy to know that what we’ve created – the experience, environment, product has brought you joy and keeps you returning to this small side street that’s called Bloomfield Ave. Cheers to a thrilling and bright future for CUT, our team and our clientele. We love you all. 🖤

    Danielle Hardy
    “She is clothed in strength and dignity and laughs at the days to come” -Proverbs 31:25

    READ MORE
    September 1, 2022

    Sept 1

    Fall is here! Kind of, not officially.. but schools in session and it’s September so that’s got to count for something. Hope that you all had a blessed and (hot) summer.. maybe a getaway or two (or three) in there.

    What a summer is has been! CUT took a week off in August for our team to gear up and get energized for serving in the 4th quarter of the year which is our favorite – holiday season! Make sure you schedule your holiday appointment now (never too early) to ensure you’ve got the perfect hair when you see your family and friends.

    On another exciting note: CUT is celebrating 10 years of being open on October 16! It has been a wild ride and we’re thrilled to celebrate with everyone. For majority of the month of September until October 16 we will be doing giveaways. Stay connected with us in person and on our Instagram to find out exactly what we’re up to. So many giveaways to show our gratitude to all of you who’ve supported us over the years, one’s you absolutely won’t want to miss. After all, we couldn’t be here doing what we do each day without you.

    Friendly reminder for Danielle’s clients- her books are closed for new clients, but she still would love to see you before her maternity leave which starts the week of Christmas and will continue for 12 weeks after her and Peach’s baby arrive! We’re all so excited for this endeavor and want to ensure her clients that they’re in the most highly capable hands while she’s away. Not sure which designer to see during that time? Ask during your next appointment or shoot CUT at text so Danielle can personally recommend the best fit for your hair.

    Enjoy the warm clothes and cozy nights as we get transitioned into fall. It’s a beautiful time of the year especially in the north east! Schedule your next appointment by texting 501-444-2884 and follow us on Instagram @CUTNJ. See you soon!

    Danielle Hardy

    “She is clothed in strength and dignity and laughs at the days to come” -Proverbs 31:25

    READ MORE
    July 13, 2022

    Summer Blog!

    Some of you may already know.. and it’s been hard to keep it in this long! We’re adding another member to the CUT team, but this time it’s an extension of Peach and myself!

    We are welcoming our first child into the world a little after New Years and we’re already blessed. The entire CUT and HARDYS team is so excited and it’s only just begun.

    Now, trust me.. I know what some of you are thinking because that was our thoughts too, “who’s going to do my hair?!” If you’ve been around CUT long enough you’ll know we have a plan in place and quite frankly, I love serving our clients so much that you can’t keep me away!

    Although some things will be changing, like my hours being a little shorter before the new year and once I return back to work after maternity leave.. lots of things will remain the same! To help accommodate my clientele, I have stopped taking new clients completely, with the exception of extension clients. New clients to the studio are always welcome, but we will be recommending them to other designers. This change was implemented a few months ago in preparation.

    In full transparency, I plan on working until I cannot work any longer – 👋🏻 hellooo Christmas Season!! However, with Mother Nature running it’s course, I’m in Gods hands and it might end up looking differently once we get closer to this time. Once baby is here Peach and I plan to take some much needed time off and I will be returning back to CUT before you know it. In the meantime, during your next few visits to the studio I plan on discussing which CUT designer would best suite your needs while I’m away. It won’t be long until I’m back and Taylor and our client communications team will have direction on which days I’m working, my new hours and what that looks like moving forward!

    Thank you for your excitement and understanding. We are beyond thrilled for this next chapter in our lives and glad to share this joy with you!

    With love,
    Danielle & Peach

    READ MORE
    April 6, 2022

    March blog

    Whoa.. what a season it has been. We’re already almost through the first quarter of 2022. If you’ve ever flown from LA to Newark you know what a doozy it could be and that’s where I am now writing this blog post. There’s something traveling does for my creativity in business I suppose… but we all know I’ve got the time to write during this flight!

    When I think of our plane landing in the next few hours I feel nothing but an eagerness to jump back into CUT with Peach to grow, strengthen and develop our team, our environment and other aspects of business.

    As you may have known from previous blog posts, we have this fun idea of traveling with our team as often as possible to help cultivate creativity, draw inspiration from new places, and meet new people! Our team visited Walt Disney World twice this past year and both times were truly impactful. Sometimes these trips will have hair design education incorporated in them, other times it will be more leisurely, however, each trip will serve a purpose to grow and connect with one another! We’re currently planning our next location – stay tuned!

    If your hair appointment has fallen within the last month, you’ll notice our neighborhood looks a little different over in Flemington. Buildings surrounding us are gone, we’ve got more sunlight and open space than we know what to do with and a full view of our building where CUT and HARDYS is. All that being said, it’s quite inspirational to see the old gone and new things coming. Keep a close eye out for some changes that will be happening directly to the CUT building.. nothing crazy yet and no spoilers here, but you’ll have to come see for yourself.

    Lastly, we want to touch base on our service menu pricing. As you may have noticed we did do a small price raise right after the three months we were closed in 2020 due to the global pandemic. We’ve chosen to not do another price raise right now, although the economic state of business is challenging and ever changing. We do want you to know though moving forward there may be changes in our service menu and you’ll be able to find the most recent and accurate pricing here. When we do raise pricing be assured that majority of the difference goes directly to families within the company as well as a thorough calculation from our vendors on what we use to operate daily as we all have been experiencing the unfortunate result of inflation. We appreciate your continued loyalty to CUT.

    Oh this year has been amazing so far and we look forward to sharing in our joy as a unified team with each person who comes into the studio. Thanks for your ongoing support and we look forward to seeing and serving you soon!

    Danielle Hardy

    READ MORE
    January 12, 2022

    Looking at my calendar it’s sort of hard to believe we’re in 2022.

    Looking at my calendar it’s sort of hard to believe we’re in 2022. I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one thinking that. 2021 was a challenging year, but filled with many blessings as well.
    The CUT team had some incredible memorable moments in 2021 including loads of education, a team trip to Hershey, PA, an amazing photoshoot [see photos below], and a quick team trip to the most magical place on earth, Disney World.
    All these things are good for team building and bonding, as well as knowledge behind the chair, however, we are chasing the experiences. I recently heard someone say that they just want to feel, whether it be pain or joy because thats what connects them to their experiences and causes growth. You can’t have growth without the trials. In a life that is easy and smooth sailing, you’ll hardly experience growth. Now that doesn’t by any means say we’re welcoming pain… it does mean that we’ve got to roll with the punches and create the best reaction to those punches as best we can.
    2022 will be a year of growth for CUT, sort of like 2021 was, but we’re on the other side now.

    We have LOADS of things to look forward to. We already have several classes scheduled for our team that include extensions, hair painting, classic cutting, and men’s classic cutting. You know this – we’re always learning.. its our lifeblood at CUT! Not only will we be attending these classes, but doing loads of in studio training. Kaleigh is already doing single process colors [go ahead and schedule your appointment now – she’s amazing and thorough!], and she is going to continue with hands on cutting and coloring all year with Danielle and the other designers.. we’re so proud of her accomplishments!

    Looking forward, the future is bright… very bright. We’re grateful for our clientele, each other, and our mentors. Thank you for a great 2021, we’re looking forward to an even better 2022! Take a moment with us and enjoy some of the photos from the shoot and from our team below!

    Danielle Hardy

    READ MORE