Second In Series Of Local Roosevelt Island Merchant Interviews Conducted By Young Reporters From The Child Center Of NY At PS/IS 217 After School Program - Meet Fusion Salon Owner Boris

Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) Children, Youth & Education Ad Hoc Committee Chair Adib Mansour reports:  

RIRA’s Children, Youth & Education Committee’s mission is to connect the youth of the island with its community while holding us all accountable for the betterment of our environment. As part of our initiative to connect our youth to island vendors, the students learn about their past, and their aspirations, while acknowledging and appreciating their dedication to the island’s residents. 

The main reason for the Roosevelt Island Vendors Appreciation and Environmental Awareness project is for the students to understand the intricacies of how each of the businesses is conducted, then contribute eco-friendly suggestions that help our community. We will go beyond knowing what each store sells, what to eat at our restaurants, or how a hairdresser cuts hair. Through this project, students will learn how to become reporters, interview our vendors, and help fight global warming on a local level. 

Our first interview was with Nema, the owner of Roosevelt Pups.

I am proud to present the second interview, with Fusion Salon’s owner, Boris. 

The interviewers are 4th graders

  at the Child Center of New York’s after-schoolprogram located at PS/IS 217.

They are Ayden, Klaudia, Constanza, Le Minh, and Orion. The students paid attention to all the details and fixtures that make up a hair salon. They also learned about Boris's origins, family, and aspirations for a successful business on beautiful Roosevelt Island.

Interview with Boris, Owner of FUSION SALON

Ayden: Hello Boris we're very happy to be here and to find out a little more about your family, your background, your education, and your business at Fusion Salon. Here are some of the questions that would help us in our interview:

Constanza: Where did you grow up? Please tell us about your childhood.

Boris: I grew up in Russia. I had a really fun childhood. It was really fun. I have two little sisters. I took care of them. I liked to play soccer. When I came to the United States while I was studying I enjoyed sports, I also played basketball. When I came from Russia I was 11.

Constanza: Do you still like soccer and do you have a favorite team?

Boris: Yes I do… but I don't have time to play. I don’t have a favorite team really… except of course the US Soccer team. I watch the World Cup every four years. On a daily basis, I do not follow soccer.

Le Minh: Where do you live now and how do you commute?

Boris: I live in Brooklyn and I drive here.

Le Minh: So you park at Motorgate?

Boris: yeah.

Orion: What did you study in College and how does it relate to your business at Fusion Salon?

Boris: I studied at Queens College for Accounting and that's a little bit I guess related to my business but well… it does actually. I do my own taxes, inventory, accounting, and balance sheets. You know I do everything myself and I guess that's related.

Klaudia: Are you married and do you have children?

Boris: Yes I'm married and I have one son whose name is Lucas and actually he likes soccer too.

Klaudia: Does he have a favorite team?

Boris: I’m not sure but I do know he likes soccer.

Ayden: Did you go to a haircutting school?

Boris: Actually, at the same time I was going to Queens College I was going to a Beauty School which took about a year so I finished that first. While I was still continuing college for Accounting I was working as a hairdresser and then I used to manage the place. When I finished college I was working for this Accounting firm. In 2007 I got laid off. I couldn’t find anything and that’s how I ended up on the island and I thought let me open my own business. I’ve been here since then, and I’m glad that I just went to the beauty school just in case. I had my second job because you never know what's going to happen tomorrow. You always have to have plan B. This is what my plan B was and I'm happy.

Constanza: What year did you open Fusion Salon?

Boris: 2008

Le Minh: Did any members of your family help you open Fusion Salon and did you feel nervous when you first opened the salon?

Boris: My family would give me a little support but, you know, I actually did everything myself. I took a loan from the bank. I was not nervous because I was 26 at the time I opened this place. I feel that at this age you just go ahead. Now if I want to change and try to open something else, I'll be more nervous; I guess I'm older; I would think 10 times before I do something. But at that time I guess I just had the feeling that this is what I had to do, right here. I guess it's good to be young. At that time I just did it, took a loan from the bank and I just did it and thank God because I'm very happy here. It’s been already 15 years, March 8th 2008.

Orion: Which haircuts are the most expensive? 

Boris: We don’t charge by the haircut, we charge a flat rate, $40 per haircut. Of course, we do color, and blow-dry. Anything involved with the hair, we do it.

Klaudia: How do you decide on a haircut?

Boris: Well, first I look at the client; I look at the face, the structure and then I would offer what's good for her/him. Some people have an oval shape of the face, some people have round shapes; so we offer what works best but in the end whatever the client wants, we do.

Ayden: What do you do if somebody asks you for a craaazy haircut?

Boris: Oooh I love crazy haircuts. I do love crazy haircuts. If that’s what they want, I do it. I'll actually do more crazy and they will be happy.

Ayden: I am going to follow up on that question. What is the craziest haircut you’ve done?

Boris: You could do like a mohawk, you could shave one side; you could leave the other side. You could color one side 1 color and do the other side a different color, you could do red. There are so many different people that want different things and we do it.

Hey, hair grows. If you don’t like that color, we can return you to the original color. If you don’t like the haircut, the hair grows back the next month. Right?

Constanza: Did you ever do a mistake while cutting someone’s hair that couldn’t be fixed?

Boris: Yes once. Once by accident! Well I was young; I was shaving … I think I was doing the shape of the hairline and the young boy sneezed while I was cutting here. And by accident, I shaved his eyebrow. Half of it that's it. There was nothing to be done! Yes, he was nine years old and he was just sitting in my chair; I was cutting here and then he just sneezed and zooot, just like that, it was gone. Since that time I take caution.

Ayden: Did you get in trouble? Did you apologize?

Boris: No I didn’t. He knew that he sneezed. What can we do?

Ayden: Did his parents say “HEY, what are you doing?!”

Boris: No. I apologized of course. I should’ve been more careful probably and held his head more… but things happen. That was 20 years ago when I started.

Le Minh: Do you sell products without giving a haircut? Why did you choose these products?

Boris: Sure I sell products without doing a service. You know, you have people walking in. And, why I like Moroccan Oil products? Because it's based on natural ingredients; they don't have sodium, they have Keratin which is good for the scull, for the hair. They don’t have chemicals that irritate the scull, like the products you buy at the stores or pharmacies. In other words, these are professional products you only could buy here. Plus, we will recommend which shampoo or conditioner products would suit you. We see your hair, if it's oily or dry or if your hair has dandruff or very fine; so you have all those different types of shampoos for individual people’s hairs.

Orion: How many people work here and do they do different things?

Boris: I have five people working here. I have three hairdressers, three stylists, one barber, and one for facials.. skincare specialist in other words. The stylist does color as well.

Constanza: Can you tell us briefly what are all the services that you do here?

Boris: Well skincare, waxing, eyebrows, what else… men's stylists, haircut for boys.. regular or crazy haircuts if they want. Women’s stylists they do whatever the clients need: color, keratin, highlight, and body weight. Anything involved in the hair, we do it.

Klaudia: What do you do with the leftover hair?

Boris: We throw it away unless it's more than 10 inches in length we donate it. If it's more than 10 inches we pack it and we donate it.

Klaudia: Do you have a ruler that measures the hair?

Boris: Yes we have a ruler, but we already know how long it is; but yes, we have. If it is 10 inches or more you donate it to the Cancer Center. You just call them up; they send you a label and a box, you put it there, and you send it back. The rest of the hair we throw it away.

Orion: Do you ever bring your family to Roosevelt Island and what are your favorite parts of the island?

Boris: Yes I do bring them here; but not so often because since I live in Brooklyn, it's kind of far to travel here; it's about an hour to get here. But a couple of times a year they come. I like everything on the island, but my favorite part is Four Freedoms Park. I like the view. But I think I like everything on the island. I wish I could live here but I can’t. I love the island overall; it's quiet, people are nicer and it’s just safer.

Orion: Where do you live now?

Boris: I live in Sheepshead Bay. It is a long commute. Well with traffic it's about an hour… an hour and 10 minutes each way. On the weekends, when there’s no traffic it takes me 40, to 45 minutes.

We have 85 % by appointment, and 15% of people just walk in. But we do a lot of appointments these days -especially after Covid started, we have more appointments so we regulate so we don't have a lot of people waiting on top of each other. We offer people to make appointments. It's better for everyone.

Klaudia sat at the chair and Boris studied her hair, undid the hair tie, and gave a few suggestions.

The students thanked Boris for taking the time to tell them all about himself and his business.

Fusion Salon is at: 523 Main Street, Roosevelt Island.

Fusion business hours are: Mondays we are closed Tuesday through Saturday: 9 AM till 7 PM Sundays: 10 AM till 7 PM 

The full video can be seen on You Tube

Our next interview is with Alon, chef & owner of ME Mediterranean Eatery. We encourage all residents to be mindful of their environment in their daily life, their business, and their commute. Remember the four Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Refuse."

The Child Center Of NY At PS/IS 217 After School Reporters Launch Local Roosevelt Island Merchant Interview Series - Meet Roosevelt Pups Pet Store Owner Nema

Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) Children, Youth & Education Ad Hoc Committee Chair Adib Mansour reports: 

RIRA’s Children, Youth & Education Committee’s mission is to connect the youth of the island with its community while holding us all accountable for the betterment of our environment. I am proud to announce a new initiative that introduces the youth to our vendors, learn about their past, their aspirations, whilst acknowledges and appreciates their dedication to the island’s residents.

The main reason for the project is for the students to understand the intricacies of how each of the businesses are conducted, then contribute echo friendly suggestions that help our community. The students will go beyond knowing what each store sells, what to eat at our restaurants or to looking through the window at the cute dogs. Through this project the students will learn how to be a reporter, interview our vendors, and help fight global warming on a local level. 

The project starts with interviewing Nema, the owner of Roosevelt Pups. The interviewers are 4th graders at the Child Center of New York after-school program located at PS/IS 217. They are: Sadie, Esther, Phuk Anh, Avy, and Aivan. 

The students walked around, payed attention to the diverse animal products sold at Roosevelt Pups and of course, had the chance to pet some puppies. 

Interview of Nema, Owner of ROOSEVELT PUPS 

Sadie: Hello Nema. Thank you for taking the time to show us around Roosevelt Pups and answering some of our questions to help us understand your business. We are very happy that you decided to have a puppy place on Roosevelt Island.

Here are some of the questions we are curious about:

Phuc Anh: Did you always like animals, and did you have any when you were growing up?

Nema: Honestly, not really and yes, I had a rabbit.

Esther: Where did you grow up?

Nema: Trinidad, Trinidad and Tobago

Avy: What did you study and does it relate to your business at RI Pups?

Nema: I did study Accounting and yes it does relate because I got to figure my budgets, figure out payroll and expenses. So definitely it relates. Do you know what I mean? As an accountant I'd take this business and figure out how much I need to spend on buying and selling the merchandise, I have to figure out how much do I charge for dogs to be here. I also did Principle of Business which is like being an entrepreneur. That's my goal in life being a business person maybe I can establish more stores, have more growth, maybe I'd have another Roosevelt Pups or Manhattan Pups, maybe in Florida, who knows?

Aivan: Are you enjoying Roosevelt Pups and is the business doing well?

Nema: I love Roosevelt Pups I love dealing with the dogs. I think the dogs feel the same way about me. I am caring compassionate with the animals.

Business' been pretty okay, though it could be better.

Aivan: Follow up question, what would make your business better?

Nema: I think the foot traffic it's low; Roosevelt Island is a small island, different from Manhattan. Foot traffic means more clientele. Maybe more marketing to have more clients coming.

Sadie: What made you open Roosevelt Pups on our Island? Do you live on the island?

Nema: I do not live on the island, I live in Queens. What made me open it here? It's my business partner -his name is Ibrahim- he's the owner of Pup Culture. He is the one who spoke to me about this and that's how I ended here. He knows Roosevelt Island and he is an entrepreneur.

Phuc Anh: Pup Culture's website lists all the locations in New York City but does not mention Roosevelt Island... how come?

Nema: Yeah, you're right. As you now know, we are not Pup Culture anymore we are Roosevelt Pups so if you go on our website you'll see Roosevelt Pups. Again, there's only one Roosevelt Pups. You can find us on Instagram @rooseveltpupsnyc. 

 Avy: On your website, you have a quote “Rated Top Dog Daycare and Voted Best Groomer in New York City”. Would you please tell us why and how does it apply to the store on Roosevelt Island.

Nema: Sure! You know why? We take good care of the dogs here. We are like the best daycare!

What do we do here I don't think a lot of dog daycares in the city do this and I don't think they have the space. On Roosevelt Island it is so beautiful to walk the dogs by the water at least two or three times a day. I don't think they can do that in the city. We offer an excellent groomer. After you clients bring the dogs for grooming, they're always happy! I don't think I ever had a client who was not happy with the grooming job so she's really really great. What ever they want done, she can do it. She is excellent!

Aivan: What services do you offer?

Nema: We offer boarding, daycare , and grooming. By boarding we mean overnight boarding - like if you go away on a vacation you can leave the dog with us we take care of your dog, we feed the dogs; if they're on medication we give them their meds, and they sleep here.

Sadie: Besides these Services you also sell products; can you tell us what is your process to choose what you carry in the store and what are your top sellers?

Nema: So we carry one brand Stella & Chewy which I think honestly, from what I see and that I know of, no dogs refuses this brand; they just love it! Stella & Chewy have something they call Dinner Patties, and it also comes in treats as well as frozen -frozen dinner patties. They are our number one seller and honestly I'll tell you no dog refuses this. We have different flavors: pork, beef, chicken, turkey, and lamb.

Esther: Do you use plastic bags for people to carry their products out of the store?

Nema: Honestly I have paper bags; I do have some plastic bags that I had and sometimes clients will just ask me for one, and I'll be honest but I do give them. But I do have paper bags.

Avy: What would you do if one of the dogs ran out?

Nema: I had that incident twice. If a dog ran out, you never run behind the dog; if you run behind the dog, the dog will keep running. We have like a treat and we just sit and call the dog and the dog comes back. Once I had a dog that got off a leash and the dog ran straight to the building where he lived.

Aivan: I know that they put a microchip in the dog's ears and you can use your phone and see where the dog went.

Nema: I can tell you how it works. The microchip goes between the two shoulder blades and then it has to be registered because if it is not registered it won't work. If someone finds the dog and they take him to the vet or a shelter and they scan the dog that got a microchip that is not registered then they would not get the necessary information.

Aivan: What happens if dogs start fighting?

Nema: That's why we always have someone in the run with the dogs. You always pull away one dog from another. I really never had any fight, maybe a little you know but no fight because I will not take an aggressive dog. I always check their temperament first before they go in with other dogs.

Esther: What is your favorite part of Roosevelt Island?

Nema: I love the whole island; oh my God I just love it. I love walking by the waters, it's relaxing. Sitting sometimes right here is so relaxing!

Adib: Do you take the tram?

Nema: No, I don't like that. I'm scared of it.

Fujia: Do you have a favorite restaurant here?

Nema: I wish we had a Roti Shop. Everyone tells me “put a Roti Shop here”. I live in Richmond Hill and there are many Roti restaurants.

Sadie: Why did you change the name from Pup Culture to RI Pups?

Nema: So my business partner from Pup Culture - who is no longer with them- and I think Roosevelt Pups was a perfect name because of the island and the logo has the tram. I think it was just perfect.

Phuc Anh: Do you only carry dogs’ supplies?

Nema: No I also carry cat supplies, and sometimes fish.

Phuc Anh: In what ways do you fight against global warming?

Nema: one, by stop using the plastic bags, definitely.

You Tube video of interview here.

Stay tuned for our next interview with a local Roosevelt Island merchant.