UPDATE: Nov. 22

The owners of Coco & Co shared this news about their upcoming Grand Opening.
"CoCo & Co, will be having a Grand Opening and Holiday Party on Wednesday, December 21st. Come by any time between 4PM to 8PM to meet the staff, eat some snacks, enjoy the music and get the grand tour. We will be providing cupcakes from Stuffed Cakes, appetizers from Von’s Roast House, Coffee from Bird on a Wire Espresso and music by my very talented friend Sphinx Akashaa Duncan.

We are just over in West Seattle not far DT Seattle. From the West Seattle Bridge, just turn left on 35th Ave SW and go 2.9 miles. We are on the west corner of 35th and Henderson right across the street from the Southwest Branch of the Seattle Library.

More details can be found on our Facebook Event Page. Feel free to RSVP on Facebook but it isn’t required."

Original Post from Nov. 12

Nathan Panuco and Antonio Cejudo are the partners behind Coco & Company a new hair and makeup salon now under construction at 9001 35th Ave. s.w. They've actually been operating for close to two years and through the new location they are establishing a headquarters for their company. The location was previously home to the West Seattle Community Clinic.

Cejudo is the Creative Director and a Master Stylist who trained with Gene Juarez (as well as Sassoon and Goldwell) with just under 8 years of experience. In his previous work, his salon has been featured in Elle magazine as one of the top 100 salons in the US 2 years in a row. He has also worked with Vidal Sassoon on their Spring 2010 collection. His client list includes many corporate clients and he recently did the hair for actress Janine Turner of Northern Exposure fame, in town to be in a TV commercial. He just worked on the hair for the cover shot for Seattle Bride Magazine.

"Ever since I was a kid I've been playing with hair," he said, "I picked up the Barbies and I thought every single Barbie should have an up-do at the age of three," he said laughing. He would still do Barbie's hair but only if "Ken requests a wedding."

Panuco handles, "everything that's not hair," focusing on the marketing, finances, promotions, and IT. He works as a project manager for Starbucks but otherwise supports Coco & Company's business efforts.

The duo divide labor in a left brain/right brain way with a sort of almost unspoken understanding of who should handle what.

Cejudo describes the atmosphere they are creating in the salon as, "French victorian, very chic. Imagine in the 40's, 50's and 60's when Burlesque was really getting started. Think 'fitting rooms' and a boudoir feel. We'll have zebra print chairs, art deco with bold colors. I'm pulling from the sexy 60's with a little bit of French chicness to it. The main core will be French(…) so it will be sexy, chic, sophisticated but very relatable."

It's a big job, transforming the space, but they have many "talented friends," who are doing a lot of hard work.

The price range for the work done will run from $40 to $70 for a custom hair style depending on the level of experience of the stylist doing the work. For his own work he said, "I'm not just a hair stylist. It's your entire image. Your hair, your make up, the whole book of your appearance. The cost will go up with additional services.

Goldwell is their color line. Enjoy hair care is their line for everyday use and for special occasions they offer Aquage products. They use Coppola products for their smoothing treatments and express blow outs but they don't sell their retail products.

Coco and Company offers something unique for color specializing in "Balayage, the latest method of highlighting. It's very natural very sun kissed. It's the color placement and the way you apply it. You know little girls who have highlights from the sun naturally? There's a method of applying color to replicate that and it's not foil. You have to be certified."

The salon shares the building with the Beauty Bar so some services, such as those provided by an aesthetician are referred.

They will have three stations and including Panuco and Cejudo will have five people employed.

While they are still working on establishing their exact hours Sundays and Mondays will be by appointment only and the remainder of the week most likely 10 am to 6 pm.

Coco Seattle is aiming at Dec. 5 for their soft opening and then "combine a grand opening with a holiday party" in the third week of December. Von's Roasthouse downtown will supply the food for that event (they're a client).