Sola Salons Expands in Florida and South Carolina Markets

PORT ORANGE, Fla. — Sola Salons, the industry-leading franchise that empowers beauty professionals with private, move-in-ready salon suites, is pleased to announce the expansion of its concept in Port Orange and Lakeland, Florida, and Greenville, South Carolina, with Haynes Chidsey. These agreements mark an exciting expansion in the Southeast, where Chidsey will continue to grow Sola Salons’ unique blend of independence and entrepreneurial support to local professionals.

“We are excited to celebrate Haynes’s growth with the Sola Salons family,” said Scott Thompson, chief development officer of Sola’s parent company, Radiance Holdings. “Haynes shares our passion for supporting beauty professionals and is the perfect partner to help us expand our presence in the Southeast.”

Chidsey’s franchising journey with Sola Salons began before the brand had even launched. As a former colleague of the company’s founders, he was involved from the earliest stages, ultimately becoming one of Sola’s first franchisees. His decision to join the brand wasn’t driven by a desire to enter franchising, but rather by his longstanding trust in the founders and belief in their vision.

Franchise model simplicity

With a background in finance and operations, Chidsey found that the Sola model aligned well with his skill set. He appreciated the business’s simplicity, especially in contrast to more complex franchise systems like food or hospitality. That simplicity allowed him and his team to focus on delivering a high-quality experience to their customers without the distractions that often come with more logistically demanding operations. He owns more than 50 units and shows no signs of slowing down.

“We operate in four states — North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida — and we’re looking to grow in all four,” Chidsey said. “More than just growth, though, our most important goal is to develop our team. We invest a lot of time, effort and money in recruiting, retaining and training our team to provide the best possible customer experience. That’s just as important to us as expanding to more locations.”

Sola Salons offers a turnkey franchise opportunity that enables entrepreneurs to own a piece of the $100 billion United States beauty industry. With a focus on providing high-end, customizable salon suites within beautifully designed commercial spaces, Sola has become the preferred choice for beauty professionals seeking independence and success, creating a highly scalable model for franchise owners.

Rapid expansion plans

With this new franchise agreement, Sola Salons is poised to continue its rapid expansion, targeting key markets across the U.S. and Canada.

Today, Sola Salons has expanded to over 750 locations nationwide and over 22,000 beauty professionals. The brand was recently ranked No. 1 in Entrepreneur's 2025 Salon Suites Category Ranking and No.

79 overall in the Franchise 500 ranking for 2025, one of the most prestigious lineups in the industry. Sola Salons has also been ranked No. 23 on Entrepreneur’s 2025 Top Brands For Multi-Unit Owners list, highlighting the top franchisors with strong incentives, systems and opportunities for multi-unit ownership.

The brand’s proven model, high retention rates and strong community of “Solapreneurs” make it an attractive opportunity for both new and experienced franchisees.

In 2004, Sola Salons was established with the opening of its first location in Denver, Colorado. Now with more than 750+ locations open in the U.S.

and Canada, Sola is proud to offer 22,000+ independent beauty professionals the freedom and benefits of salon ownership without the risk and overhead of opening a traditional salon. Its innovative salon model empowers hairdressers, estheticians, nail techs, massage therapists and other like-minded professionals to take control of their lives and their careers. Sola provides beauty professionals with beautiful, fully-equipped salon studios alongside the support and tools they need to launch their salon business in no time.