Gen Z could save Vermont
Merchant’s Row has always been an active street in Randolph – part restaurant scene, a corridor feel, part place to get the stuff for our cars, trucks, and farm equipment to keep them running, and part yoga studio. Then there are the empty storefronts, the ones waiting for the next person with a vision to turn a key and try something new. Revel Rose Hair Studio is one of the newest of those efforts, founded by a young woman, a Gen Z, who’s choosing to make her start right here. (Revel Rose, the name, came from the prior business at the same location, Revel Rose Photography)
Who's who at Rev
Kamie Burnett didn’t arrive at this work in a straight line. She started doing hair in high school, left it for horses, tried the vet world, bartended, and eventually found her way back to cosmetology school: “I was commuting to Burlington from Topsham… an hour, hour and a half drive every day,” all while working at a café in Hanover to cover bills. When she graduated, she didn’t join a salon or ease in. She booth-rented immediately — “I didn’t even have enough money to go buy product… I got a loan of $400 from my grandmother and paid her back within a week.” That’s the kind of beginning that feels familiar here: someone starting with almost nothing but deciding to do it anyway. Kamie also has a beautiful nine-month-old baby!
What makes Revel Rose stand out is the market they’ve tapped into — students. The young women from RUHS and the surrounding schools. The ones who come downtown in groups, sit on the couch together, and turn a haircut into a social outing. That’s largely because of Isabella Cowell, who has become the stylist young people gravitate toward. She went to hair school in 2022–2023, didn’t take her exam right away, bartended for a while, and then Kamie called with an opportunity. She took the exam three years later and stepped into the studio with a full book almost immediately. “My high school girls… they bring the energy. They come in groups,” she said. They share everything on social media, they bring their friends, and then their moms come in too. It’s a whole ecosystem of young people who finally have a place downtown that feels like it’s for them.
Revel Rose is also home to Faith, the studio’s esthetician, who offers waxing and skincare services. Her work adds another layer to the business – clients who come in for brows or skincare often end up booking hair appointments, and hair clients discover waxing while they’re in the chair. It’s the kind of natural, small-town cross-pollination that helps a young business stay busy. And with a lash artist joining soon, the studio is becoming a full-service spot without anyone needing to drive to the Upper Valley.
And now, another familiar face is returning to Merchant’s Row: Melissa Smith, a Gen X stylist who previously ran Root Flora just across the street. Melissa will be joining the Revel Rose team as their newest stylist, bringing her own following and her own experience back to the block. It’s a welcome return – another professional choosing to build her work life in Randolph instead of somewhere else. Welcome back to Merchant’s Row, Melissa.
All for one and one for all
What ties all of this together is how they work. Each is an independent stylist, but they operate like a team. They share clients when schedules don’t line up. They talk openly about product costs, education, and the reality of running a small business. They spend real time on consultations – “We talk to them for probably 10 to 15 minutes,” Kamie said – making sure the cut or color fits someone’s budget, maintenance level, and lifestyle. They’re not trying to be fancy. They’re trying to be good, and they’re trying to make sure people walk out feeling like themselves, only better.
And honestly, hearing them talk about it – especially the part where every haircut comes with a wash, style, and blow-dry – made me think I might need to go get a haircut myself. There’s something about that full service that feels like care, not upselling.
Revel Rose Hair Salon is important because it’s another sign that young people are choosing to build here. It’s another storefront filled, another set of lights on, another reason for someone to walk downtown. Merchant’s Row has it going on. Wit & Grit, True Center Yoga, Oak & Iron, and Fisher Auto Parts. Now it’s getting the Gen Z folks. And if this is what the next generation is bringing to Randolph, we’re in good shape for whatever comes next. Bravo ladies!
