Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
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bella vita salon • spa • medi iced marble - reception area + spa clinton brown - replace focal wall hemlock - shampoo area bella vita logo design CELEBRATING YEARS 40 bellavitanorthandover.com | 978-682-5103 | 1019 Osgood Street North Andover, MA inety-five percent of salons close within the first five years. But Bella Vita Salon & Day Spa, which opened in 1979, has not only survived these odds, but flourished for forty years - a direct result of the integrity, passion, perseverance, hard work and courage of owners, Giovanni and Cheryl Currao, and their remarkable team members. The story behind Bella Vita, and more specifically, Giovanni Currao, is a unique one and deserves to be told. Giovanni grew up in Sicily and has always had a deep understanding of the concept of hard work. His father was a farmer who worked day and night, while his mother was dedicated to raising their seven children. In 1964, at the tender age of nine, Giovanni started working at the local barbershop. Every day after school he walked to work and learned to cut hair. He quickly developed a keen interest in the craft. From this modest barbershop in rural Sicily, his lifelong passion for designing hair blossomed and grew with each passing day. When Giovanni was fifteen the opportunity arose for his family to come to the United States. His parents made the heart-wrenching, yet courageous decision to give up their comfortable, safe, simple life. They left their land and extended family behind, uprooted their children, and took a leap of faith to plant the seeds of hope on America's fertile soil and provide more opportunities for their children. Life in America was a bleak contrast to their life in Sicily. The Currao family settled into a humble third-floor walk-up in Lawrence, MA. The eldest of seven children, Giovanni felt called to help support his struggling family. He sacrificed the opportunity for a formal high school education which included learning to read and write English. Instead, just sixteen, he gained employment at Lawrence Made shoe factory where he hand-crafted shoes. His natural gift for creating with his hands, lightning quick sewing abilities and exquisite workmanship earned him immediate recognition. Despite his grueling work schedule, Giovanni attended Lawrence Cosmetology School at night. There, N Join us on Sunday, April 28 11am-4pm he was taken under the wing of a talented instructor, Laura Carpenito. She mentored him like a son and they shared a wonderful, close bond. Forty years later he still abides by the wisdom she instilled in him. He never allowed his lack of formal education or the language barrier to deter him. With his work ethic, Giovanni earned a U.S. Cosmetology license in 1979 and opened up a three chair salon in Methuen called Shear Pleasure. It was an incredible feat not only for him personally, but also in the eyes of his beloved parents. Giovanni's tireless propensity for work and strong moral character has enabled him to expand the salon. In 1995, he moved his salon to the Butcher Boy Plaza in North Andover. Renamed Bella Vita, the salon was one of the first day spas in the Merrimack Valley. It did so well, he expanded again a few years later. In 2007, he needed to expand the salon once again. Giovanni and wife Cheryl bought property across the street where they built an impressive 5000 sq ft salon and day spa overlooking glorious Lake Cochichewick. Their exquisite salon has gorgeous custom touches, a serene tranquility lounge that overlooks the lake, and services that range from specialty colors to hair extensions, wig design, injectables, mircroblading, microneedling, jet peels, cosmetic tattooing, jelly pedicures, CBD massages and more. And here they stand today: Giovanni reflects back on the past forty years and speaks softly, "I went from not speaking English and having no high school education, to opening a tiny 3 chair salon, then to building my dream…a "Bella Vita" which means "Beautiful Life" in Italian…it's incredible, it's been quite the journey and more unbelievable is that many of our clients have been coming to us for thirty or forty years! I have always relied on ethics and hard work…my parents (who both recently passed) would be proud…that's what drives me." • Exclusive Offers • Retail Specials • Raffles & Giveaways • Hors d'oeuvres by Buono Bistro • Refreshments Photography by Linda Jennings A d v e r t i s e m e n t