Fire damages popular hair salon on St. Paul's West Side

A fire Sunday evening damaged WestSide HairCare, a beloved St. Paul salon frequented by residents of its namesake neighborhood for more than three decades.

After working at the salon for 22 years, Christina Erdman purchased the building at 450 S. Robert St. last November. Since then, she's been using her own money to update and decorate the space.

"Now all this work I've done for the last eight months, it's just out the door," Erdman said. "I'm so overwhelmed and emotional."

Roy Mokosso, spokesman for the St. Paul Fire Department, said a preliminary investigation determined the fire was an accident. No injuries were reported.

The city's Department of Safety and Inspections condemned the building, meaning it could be weeks or months before people can reoccupy it, Mokosso said. There was more than $100,000 in damage to the building and its contents, he said, including the apartment of a longtime stylist who lived above the salon.

Erdman said other salons in the area have reached out to offer temporary workspaces for her tight-knit team of seven stylists. Clients will still be able to book appointments with the WestSide HairCare team on the salon's online scheduling platform.

Calls and messages from clients have been flooding in, and neighbors stopped by to help clean up Sunday night and Monday morning, Erdman said. At least two of the firefighters who responded to the 911 call told Erdman their mothers got their hair cut at the salon — a testament to the West Side's strong sense of community, she said.

"We've had so much support," she said. "It's been amazing. It was really awesome, considering everything."

The salon has been a mainstay in the West Side neighborhood since 1992. Last fall, it was named runner-up for the city's annual Traditions Award, which honors businesses that have been active in St. Paul for at least 20 years.

"People who are adults now, they came as kids, and we did their parents' hair," said longtime owner Jackie Dodge-Borgan, who sold the building to Erdman last fall. "This has been a staple in the community, and we need to get that back."

Monica Bravo, executive director of the West Side Community Organization and one of Erdman's clients, said the business "is really so much more than a salon."

"Generations of West Side residents have been served there," she said. "It's a community gathering space."

The salon sustained water damage as a result of the fire, but the occupant of the upstairs apartment "lost everything," according to his niece, Veronica Romo, manager of nearby El Burrito Mercado.

"I was so devastated to hear about it," said City Council Member Rebecca Noecker, who represents the area. "WestSide HairCare is such a linchpin of the community, an anchor institution in the Robert Street corridor — not only providing valuable services, but also very closely engaged with the community."

Noecker said her office plans to do whatever it can to help, including possibly providing access to the city's business assistance fund. An online fundraiser was launched to raise money for the building and its tenant, and neighbors are discussing plans to host a fundraising event in the future.

Erdman said she spoke with a restoration company Monday and planned to meet with an insurance adjuster Tuesday. Her goal is to reopen as soon as possible.

"Ideally, I would be in there cutting hair tomorrow," she said.

In the meantime, a handwritten note hangs in the window: "Thank you for your patience. WestSide HairCare will be back SOON!!"

Staff writer Hannah Pinski contributed to this report.