Publication Credit: Wichita Business Journal, Shaheer Naveed – Reporter
Published: April 8, 2025
Utopia Modern Salon Suites owner Kristin Kienzle spent all of 2024 on her franchising business, a business decision she made while planning her third location in west Wichita.
“Instead of having more corporate-owned stores and building that way, we decided to expand through franchising, which only a few other salons studio suite brands have done,” she said.
After completing her franchise plans alongside Franchise Management Systems, Kienzle said she wants to open at least two locations this year, with the first move possibly to Tulsa.
“I think we’ve got a hold of the market and my motivation is to expand to different markets,” she said. “It’s (Tulsa) got a great vibe, great people and It’s really easy for me to drive there. When we have a franchisee there, I can really keep my thumb on the pulse of their business and be very accessible.”
Along with her west Wichita location last year, Kienzle has opened two in east Wichita since launching her business in 2022. She currently has 41 beauty professionals and business owners working in her locations.
Tulsa attracted Kienzle for one reason over anything else: It doesn’t have enough salon suites — yet.
“They’ve got one franchise unit there for a different brand. They’ve got one coming in and then they have a few little one-offs like what Utopia was,” she said. “There’s a lot of demand. The market research has made us really excited to find the right person to open our first franchise, and hopefully, it is in Tulsa.”
Kienzle said she is currently working with commercial real estate firms CBRE and Tulsa-based Wiggin Properties to find leasing spaces and potential franchisees in the market.
Utopia Modern Salon Suites currently has two east-side locations, including this one at 10111 E. 21st St., Suite 403 in The Offices at Cranbrook.
Despite eyes on Tulsa, Kienzle said the franchise’s expansion is not limited to the city. She identified Oklahoma City, Lee’s Summit and Liberty in Missouri, Des Moines and Dallas as targeted markets.
“I feel like it (salon suites) have just made its way here,” she said. “We’re in the middle of gaining momentum and I just want to jump on and be a part of that momentum.”
Kienzle said demand for salon suites is steadily growing despite the unpredictable economy because customers, particularly women, need salon care services. On the business side, the “entrepreneurial drive” of long-standing beauty professionals has shifted to more independent business opportunities, which creates demand for salon suites.
“They can see that if they lease a space, they can pay their bills and keep profits and not have to be limited,” she said. “There’s been this great movement into salon suites because they’re manageable.”
Kienzle said franchising meant she could capitalize on an unsaturated industry with less competition. With brands like Sola Salons having a strong presence in Wichita and across the country, Kienzle wants her franchise to be centered on the business owner’s needs with more amenities and a structured involvement in their communities.
Kienzle’s franchise follows a “semi-absentee” model in which franchisees can run the business part-time after site selection, construction and leasing are completed. In addition to the $40,000 franchise fee, Kienzle estimated a minimum investment of $350,000, which could go up to $1 million depending on the space and business. Franchisees should have spaces sized between 2,500 square feet to 4,000 square feet with 12 to 20 suites.
Kienzle’s franchise will help with site selection and leasing. It will also provide a playbook alongside a three-day training session that helps franchisees find tenants.
Despite the offering, the biggest challenge has been determining the best way to market her franchise along with smaller concerns the large upfront investment, which could be a barrier to entry for potential franchisees.
“There are so many different ways to invest in lead generation and marketing, so many people come at me … brokers, franchise developers,” she said.
While the first franchisee would be taking a chance, Kienzle believes that chance is worth it.
“If you’re fully leased when you open, it’s profitable on day one,” she said. “It’s not like a lot of businesses where you have to have operating capital for months and months.”
Overall, the key is a gradual and methodical approach, Kienzle said.
“We’re never going to get to 50 (franchise locations) if we fail on the first one,” she said.