More than two years after Hurricane Helene forced Wink Salon out of its flagship Biltmore Village location in Asheville, North Carolina, the salon reopened its original location earlier this month, marking a major milestone for one of the city’s hardest-hit commercial districts.
When Helene hit Western North Carolina on Sept. 27, 2024, Wink lost its Biltmore Village salon overnight. Founded by longtime friends and business partners Christine DiBenedetto and Gilda Santiago in 2005, Wink Salon spent the past two years rebuilding. And while Wink had opened a smaller, eight-chair second location in Doctors Park before Helene—a decision that ultimately gave the business a foothold after the storm—it could accommodate only a fraction of the salon’s team. Wink went from 30 chairs across its two locations to just eight—a 73% reduction in capacity.
“It wasn’t real until we saw it,” DiBenedetto said. “I will never forget Gilda walking down my street crying and saying, ‘It’s gone. It’s gone.’”
In the immediate aftermath of the storm, Wink operated solely out of its eight-chair space at Doctors Park and continued serving clients while navigating insurance claims, construction delays, and rebuilding challenges. After careful consideration, DiBenedetto and Santiago decided to return to Biltmore Village but with a new vision and business model for their flagship salon.
Rebuilding, Not Recreating
The Biltmore Village salon reopened with 15 chairs rather than its previous 22, along with a more intentional business model shaped by its owners’ two decades of experience. DiBenedetto and Santiago used the disruption to reconsider how they want Wink to operate, from its physical footprint and compensation structure to the kind of careers they seek to create for stylists.
“Instead of rebuilding a collection of strategies accumulated over two decades, we had the opportunity to reclaim the business, simplify it, and be much more intentional about why we do things the way we do,” DiBenedetto said.
That perspective reflects what Wink has always represented beyond the salon itself. Over the past 21 years, the business has helped develop stylists who have gone on to build careers and businesses of their own. At least 16 former Wink stylists have since opened their own brick-and-mortar salons, with others building independent businesses through suites, booths and chairs.
“We’ve always believed the true measure of our success isn’t how big the salon becomes, but how many people we’ve helped grow,” Santiago said. “Seeing former Wink stylists build businesses of their own has been one of the most rewarding parts of this journey.”
For DiBenedetto, returning to Biltmore Village is both an ending and a beginning. “Returning to Biltmore Village feels like finishing this chapter the way we always wanted,” she said. “We are returning with hope, a strong team, and a much more intentional vision for Wink. It feels purposeful. It feels joyful.”
Wink is now welcoming clients at its Biltmore Village location. For additional details about the reopening and appointments, visit ilovewink.com. Be sure to follow the salon on social media.
