Kid-friendly Franchise Opens Its Doors In Aventura

For Judy Moses, taking her 5-year-old son to get a hair cut wasn't an experience she looked forward to � until she discovered Snip-its in Aventura.

Moses, whose son Moshe has autism and sensory issues, discovered the children's salon, through a Yahoo! group for mothers of children with special needs called Denise's list .

"The barber was really attuned to it and asked me if he had sensory issues before he even began cutting his hair," Moses said.

Snip-its opened its doors at the Aventura Promenade Shops on Jan. 12.

All of Snip-its' stylists are certified to work with children with autism and other special needs, including sensory issues. Together with the national Autism Speaks organization, the Snip-its corporation worked to create a haircutting guide for both stylists and parents of children with autism.

The Snip-its shop in Aventura is owned by Karen and Avi Assor, who are originally from Venezuela and moved to Aventura a year and a half ago.

"We always like to help, and give others a hand," Karen Assor said. "I always like to be helping someone." For Susan Leon, the development director for the South Florida Autism Charter Schools and the mother of a 12-year-old son with autism, the experience was just as pleasant.

"For starters, you walk into the place and it's extremely kid-friendly; for our kids in particular hair cutting is very hard," Leon said. "It was a very positive experience." According to Assor, two people from the franchising headquarters go in and teach the hairdressers for three days how to cut the hair of children with special needs.

"There's also a manual that explains how to treat these kids and how to behave with them and give them their space," Assor said. "There are a lot of types of kids, and the stylists observe and the mom's are asked what they're like before they begin. They always give them time to observe and feel comfortable in their environment." The salon donated 15 percent of the proceeds from its opening weekend to the South Florida Autism Charter Schools. All franchise owners are required to select a nonprofit organization to donate 15 percent of its proceeds to during its opening days.

The South Florida Autism Charter School, which receives funding as a public charter, still needs as much money as it could get, according to Leon.

"It's always good to have as much money as possible," Leon said. "We were lucky enough that they chose us. They were happy to do it." Snip-its currently has more than 60 locations in 26 states in the United States. The Aventura location is one of three in Florida.

The children's hair salon does more than cut hair. It also offers spa services, including mini facials, manicures and pedicures � in conjunction with entertainment for children including prizes, video games and toys. Each Snip-its salon is decorated with murals in vibrant colors, and each hair-cutting station includes a chair for parents to sit nearby. The stations also include an entertainment console with custom computer games and activities. After each haircut, children are taken to drop a lock of hair into the "Snip-its Magic Box" for a prize.

"Snip-its is about so much more than getting your hair cut," Karen said. "It's about creating an experience that will leave both parents and children feeling satisfied, happy and excited about their next visit."

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