Freckled Peddler blends salon and boutique

Signal resident Niki Sanko stands in the Freckled Peddler, her new business which combines a salon and a boutique.

Ever since she was a little girl growing up in South Florida, Niki Sanko has dreamed of opening a business that is both a salon and a boutique, similar to the one operated by her mother. Her plans have come to fruition with the opening of the Freckled Peddler, a name that incorporates one of Niki's prominent facial features as well as the business's boutique concept.

Niki Sanko had been in the salon business for a little more than a decade when she moved to Fox Run about a year and a half ago.

"I decided I wanted to own my own business and expand into the boutique business," said Sanko, who was previously a stylist at A Cut Above in Hixson. "I wanted a unique blend of a private salon and curated offering of cute things."

Within the next month she said she plans to begin carrying cosmetics as well.

"We carry the best of different brands, all professional lines," said Sanko, who is also a professional makeup artist. "As women, I feel like we don't like entire lines of anything, but like to get the best of each line."

Products she plans to carry include Mirabella foundation and eye shadow from Pure Cosmetics, she said.

"I don't put anything out there I haven't actually used," she said, adding that all products are 100 percent guaranteed and if a customer does not like something, he or she can always bring it back. "It's really important to me that guests really love what they buy here."

Salon services are available by appointment only and include haircuts, blowouts and waxing. Sanko said her specialty is hair color, especially dimensional hair color such as balayage, which she said resembles sun-kissed highlights and is currently the biggest trend in hair color.

She opened the boutique portion of the business last month, a few months after the salon. It offers a mix of housewares and specialty items including home décor in the modern farmhouse style, gifts such as coffee mugs and picture frames and women's accessories.

Sanko said she has partnered with several local vendors, such as a farm offering goat's milk soap.

"We have new items in every single week," she said. "We try to keep it fresh with unique, one-of-a-kind things."

Sanko said she wants her customers to be able to count on the Freckled Peddler to offer great products and services that she is willing to stand behind, and for them to feel like they are getting service from someone who cares about them and appreciates their business.

She is excited to be a part of the revitalization of Ashley Plaza, she added, which features several businesses that opened in the past year or two, such as Chattanooga Jewelry and Scenic City Catering.

"Come by and check us out," Sanko said.

Email Emily Crisman at ecrisman@timesfreepress.com