With Orange Turnpike slicing through the village, it’s hard to argue that Sloatsburg is pedestrian friendly. There’s no charming village square to wander around, strolling from shop to shop. Sloatsburg has a convenient strip mall that, although an eyesore, invites bustling business. A friendly deli counter, wine store, coffee. But strip malls project definite no loitering attitudes. But scattered across the village center are other, older buildings in the process of being repurposed and reopened for business.

Rococo’s Hair & Nail Salon occupies one of those rambling, spacious buildings that line Sloatsburg’s downtown. With a handcrafted red sign created by local sign maker Brian Uline hanging above the porch, and matching red door, Rococo’s is exactly the kind of business that would invite  foot traffic, if the dangerously close Rt. 17 even made that possible.

“Because of where I am, foot traffic is zero,” said Susan McDonagh, longtime owner of Rococo’s. “But my customers come from all over.”

The expansive two-story building that houses the salon is owned and was renovated by Village Trustee Barbara Berntsen, who maintains offices in the back barn building. But Rococo’s itself is the product of McDonagh, who is a whirlwind of activity and smokey-voiced eclectic chatter. Not only a licensed cosmetologist and colorist, McDonagh also has a degree in Information Technology. “I love art, hair and computers,” she said.

From the crystal lights and state-of-the-art hair sinks, to the hand painted walls and 1950s-themed tiled bathroom — complete with Elvis Presley poster — McDonagh has had her hand in the design and decoration of her salon, which recently underwent an expansion to provide a homey waiting room.

“We are adding airbrushed makeup to our wedding party menu,” said McDonagh, clearly excited about the new services she’s able to provide with her spacious digs. “So not only do we accommodate wedding parties for their hair, now with our intimate waiting room —  it’s cozy to hang out while friends are being done up.”

McDonagh moved to Sloatsburg when she was 19, started Rococo’s shortly afterward in 1991 and has been a business woman working in the heart of the village ever since. Now she employs three hairdressers, including her sister Carolyn McEnery, who does nails but also recently expanded into hair and electrolysis at the salon. Both women have daughters who attend Sloatsburg Elementary School. “I never considered myself a ‘burgher’ but I guess I am,” McDonagh said. “My daughter Reanna is in the 3rd grade with Ms. Vasti. I’m very proud because besides being one of the top students in her class, she’s also an athlete — she won Champion of Champions two years in a row for Sloatsurg Olympic Day.” Sponsored by the Ramapo Valley Rotary, Olympic Day is the annual day of spring competition at the school, where  students participate in everything from soccer games to pizza box races and sprints.

McDonagh began the move into her new space in 2008 and Rococo’s trials and tribulations soon became a sort of Sloatsburg legend. The move involved the salon in its own increasingly Kafkaesque entanglement with Village Hall and former building inspector John Layne that dragged out Rococo’s opening nearly two years, and included everything from disputes about elevators and signage size to parking spaces. Finally after a protest rally and some delicate refereeing from the Town of Ramapo, the salon opened.

“It took us a long time to get in here,” said McDonagh. “The fight was worth the fight. It’s a beautiful place. It has a beautiful front porch. And when we moved in we were really busy.”

Rococo’s interior is inviting and arty, with high-ceilinged rooms bathed in sunlight and hanging crystal light fixtures that McDonagh individually took apart and refurbished. Hair washing and hair coloring, along with nails, each have their own dedicated rooms. “I did all the painting — everything was pretty much done except the lights. There were only bare lights. Barbara got these crystals from a building she was renovating. So, I took them apart and painted them and hung them in here. And painted everything, took doors down, made it look less officey.”

With the addition of a dedicated waiting room, the expansive space allows for an assortment of hair care products and plenty of wall space for interesting displays. McDonagh said that with her salon space settled and the expansion of her makeup and wedding menu, she would  like to add one more hair stylist. “More people allows everyone to break up their hours,” she said.

And after 20 years of doing business in the village, she feels like the current salon is a new beginning. “I started so young. There are people who have had businesses here for a very long time,” she said. “I love Sloatsburg. The people here are more real, kind, compassionate. You know what, though, I like people. I do. You learn so much being in this business. You hear so many helpful things that you can pass on.”

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