UPDATE: Marlene Weber Day Spa’s Abrupt Closure, Unspent Gift Card Concerns Addressed
UPDATE 5/25/2023: Oasis MediSpa in Poughkeepsie, NY announced they will be honoring any unspent Marlene Weber Day Spa gift cards. They have ensured Marlene Weber customers that they will accept all valid Marlene Weber Day Spa gift cards at their Poughkeepsie facility.
UPDATE 5/25/2023: The Marlene Weber website and Instagram page are back up and running.
It has been an eventful few days here in the Hudson Valley when word began traveling about a longstanding and well-known salon and spa's closure, seemingly out of nowhere.
Serving the Hudson Valley for more than four decades, Marlene Weber has been a signature name here in the area for so many people, many of which have expressed their concerns both for the owner herself, as well as what happens next for clients and employees.
Marlene Weber Salon & Spa Closes Doors After Decades Serving Hudson Valley
News began circulating social media last week regarding Marlene Weber Salon and Spa abruptly closing their doors, in what seemed like a complete surprise to both customers and staff. An announcement that was published on Facebook notified people that the salon and spa were closed as of April 28th and that the lease was up for the space.
While the announcement itself was a shock to many, the chatter among locals over the past few days has been about the displeasure about the closure of the Poughkeepsie salon without warning, and what would be done for those who have appointments and/or gift cards to be used.
Several community groups have been flooded with posts from longtime customers regarding a number of concerns about the salon's closure; where are people's long-time stylists now? What about the status of appointments that were said to have been booked as recently as early last week, and lots of questions about gift cards, especially those that were purchased quite recently for Mother's Day?
Concern turned to disappointment and anger over the past few days after the post on Marlene Weber's official Facebook page about the closure was removed, and then all her social media pages and website vanished as well.
Community Concern Over Booked Appointments and Gift Cards for Marlene Weber
In speaking with some Hudson Valley residents about the salon's closure, and if they were contacted about upcoming scheduled appointments or gift cards, the consensus has been that nobody knew this was coming, or that services they had already booked, and in some cases paid for, would not be happening.
Elizabeth E. from Wappingers shared that she had made an appointment two months ago for a wedding at the end of May, and was only informed of the salon's closure when she saw that her hairdresser would be moving, contacted her and was told that the salon had closed.
I had just thought maybe she had let some people go, but I didn't realize that they had closed their doors until they were permanently closed. They didn't even give me the benefit of a phone call.
Angela M. from LaGrange shared that she was a long-time hair and spa customer whose boyfriend gave her a $200 gift certificate for Christmas that she was looking forward to using for pedicure services ahead of summer.
She has my contact information and the right thing would have been to let customers know that she would be closing, as we all know she didn't just make this decision in a day.
Ella R. also shared that she has a couple of hundred dollars in gift cards that she was planning to call to make an appointment for when she saw the news of the salon and spa closing.
READ MORE: New York State Rights When Gift Cards Are No Longer Valid
Local Salons Step Up To Provide For Clients and Former Staff Impacted by Marlene Weber's Closing
As conversations continued, threads were started to provide an outlet for local community members to give suggestions for other spa and salon services in the area. General posts began popping up with some business owners going as far as offering employment to those impacted by Marlene Weber's closure, to honoring gift cards that had been previously purchased for the now-closed salon.
Tracey Gransden, owner and stylist of TMG Hair Studio in Newburgh shared that she too found out about the salon's closure while scrolling through a social media group, and was confused about how abruptly it happened, and without much explanation. Tracey will be accepting and honoring Marlene Weber gift certificates, no matter the amount, valid for one visit during the months of May and June.
She also posted on one of the comment threads that she is looking to hire a stylist.
I just wanted to make it to where this community, which, by the way, are a lot of maybe single mothers or mothers in general that just need time away and looking forward to something special for themselves.
Another example of the community stepping up to support one another, salon be loved, located in Pleasant Valley, shared that a number of former employees would be joining their team later this month
Outreach to Marlene Weber ownership has not been responded to, the business website reads 'officially suspended,' all social media pages have been removed, and phone lines go directly to a voicemail box that indicates that the salon is either closed, or they are with clients.