the Gordon Family
A fourth-generation hairstylist, Tony Gordon is a Cosmetology Chicago Board Member, Former Aveda Purefessional & an Intercoiffure Member for over 10 years. His work has spanned NYFW & Allure magazine, and he has worked with large fashion houses such as Versace. He is passionate about growing hairstylists into haircutting & coloring masters.
Tony's great-grandmother was a wig maker for the Chicago Lyric Opera. His grandmother was a principal of the American Beauty Academy in Chicago, founded Elizabeth Gordon Hair Designs in Hyde Park, & was considered to be one of the top colorists of her time.
Jerry Gordon, his father, was a legacy hairdresser in the Chicagoland hair industry, dominating the 'best hairstylist in Illinois' moniker from the 1960s through the 1990s. Training & competing with Horst Rechelbacher, the founder of Aveda, Jerry owned one of the first Aveda Salons in the United States, & the first Aveda Lifestyle salon in Illinois, J. Gordon Designs in Lincoln Park. He spearheaded the concept of 'double booking', universally used in salons today & was recognized as the NAHA 1990 Hair Salon Owner of the Year. He was honored in 2017 with a Lifetime Achievement award & is the eponym of the prestigious Cosmetologist Chicago's Jerry Gordon Business Leadership Award. Survived by Karen Gordon a Master Cosmetologist & Trichologist, & current president of Cosmetologist Chicago.
Katherine Gordon, Tony’s sister, is a BAFTA winning & Academy Award Nominated hairdresser in New York & Los Angeles. She has worked in the film & television industry for 30+ years, creating the iconic hairstyles of films such as Austin Powers, Wayne's World, Terminator 4, American Hustle & more.
Pamela Gordon is also a multi-generational hairstylist, and started in the hair industry with Tony at J. Gordon Designs. She has worked on the floor in almost every Gordon Salon location for over 24 years, becoming the first Gordon Salon Senior Master Stylist. She continues to provide her award-winning team with leadership & guidance to build a successful career in the beauty industry, providing above & beyond services for guests and raising the next generation of stylists.
Their two children, Jessica & Michael Gordon are 5th generation hair stylists & have worked with the Gordon Salon teams for over 30 years, collectively. Both are business graduates From Colorado State University & Depaul University, as well as passionate hair designers with cosmetology degrees since 2013. They have done hair on stage with industry legends, won the Intercoiffure Nouveau Competition twice & Won the 2 to 10 Conference's Next Generation Leadership Awards two years in a row. Currently Jessica is the Director of Human Resources & Michael is the Director of Marketing and works in our Glenview & Highland Park Locations.
Tony & Pam Gordon
Our Mission at Gordon Salon is to provide beauty and wellness for Humanity.
We believe one of the best ways to create these conditions for stylists is continuing their education beyond beauty school, in our salons. It is a crucial step to the overall success and longevity of any hairdresser's career.
Every stylist on our team has extensive knowledge of their field. Our rigorous training program ensures that all Gordon Salon hair designers receive expert education, specializing them in both cut and color.
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We firmly believe that your overall wellness is sacred. We proudly use only Aveda’s naturally-derived products. By tapping into the essences of plants and flowers, we ensure only the healthiest ingredients touch your skin and hair while conserving the planets resources.
OUR STORY
Gordon Salon was founded in 1999. Upon opening, Tony & Pam sought out to solve a prevalent problem that most salons were facing at that time.
"As Salon owners, one thing that we knew was that the salon industry lacked advanced, consistent training available to stylists after they graduate beauty school. Because of this, we saw a lot of hair dressers becoming burnt out and switching careers after a few short years. It saddened us that so many people failed to accomplish their dreams of becoming successful stylists. So, we created a training program that addressed those issues."
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Gordon in Lakeview opened a few blocks from Wrigley Field in a historic brownstone. The salon was expanded to two levels with a full spa & education center in 2005. The building was eminently domained in 2017 by the City of Chicago for the planned Red & Purple line CTA expansion.
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In August 2006, Pam and Tony relocated their Ravinia salon to Downtown Highland Park. As a Highland Park resident himself, Tony loves being able to interact with members of their community every Friday.
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Gordon in Wilmette was opened in December 2009 and is located right off of the Eden's Expressway. Perfect for guests coming from different suburbs within Lake or Cook County, Pam Gordon can be found working her magic on the floor on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Wilmette is home to our largest Gordon Salon team outside our Evanston Team.
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Gordon in the Glen is located in a rehabilitated airplane hanger from the 1950s, with soaring ceilings and a prominent corner location. The two story space is home to the Gordon Emerging Artist program. The Town Center is filled with places to eat, shop, and have fun, making this location a perfect mix of outdoor views with a calm space for our guests.
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Gordon in Lakeshore East is tucked away behind the Blue Cross & Blue Shield building on East Randolph in a centrally located 5 acre park filled with restaurants, shops, and a Mariano's grocery store, surrounded by skyscrapers and 2 beautiful Jeanne Gang buildings, the Aqua & the Vista (now St. Regis Chicago). The team of the former Gordon in Lakeview relocated to this space at the the end of 2017.
We are able to validate parking in the Mariano's parking garage for up to 3 hours for $4. If parking is an issue, public transit to Lakeshore East is available via the CTA Bus Route #60, and is a short walk up Randolph from Michigan Avenue, a few steps from State Street CTA.
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Gordon in Evanston is located in a historic brownstone just a few short blocks from Northwestern University's campus. The building is originally from 1930, nestled in a walkable business block surrounded by beautiful Tudors and Evanston Bungalows. We preserved this 93 year old building's brownstone facade, including it’s ribboned terra cotta moldings, and rehabilitated the interior, exposing 9 decades of items we reincorporated in the frames. The interior was completely rehabbed, down to a state of the art HVAC system with HEPA filtration. The space was designed with attention paid to reducing the environmental impact of each material chosen. Reducing our footprint came into play with elements such as the marble epoxy floor, reusing the original steel framing and keeping the building's original brick walls, preserved in our wash house and the retail area. We recycled a Central Street jewel in need of repair, making the new Gordon In Evanston a shining flagship location & anchor building on one of the most desirable blocks in Evanston.