NORTHAMPTON — After 17 years renting a chair at three different Florence salons, hair stylist Justin Foucher has moved downtown and opened his own business.

Le Beau Salon opened last month in the Maplewood Shops, 2 Conz St., and already Foucher feels like he’s settling in.

“It’s nice being a little closer to downtown, and all the neighbors have been really friendly,” he said.

Foucher, a 2007 graduate of the cosmetology program at Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School, is a Florence native who got his start at Lynn Wiles & Co.

“It was a good experience,” he said. “She set me up for success. She prompted me to rent early on,” rather than becoming an employee.

That approach gives stylists more control over their own schedule, and is one he is using at his own salon, renting chairs to a hairdresser and an esthetician who are both self-employed.

As a stylist, Foucher said, he leans toward color, while his colleague at the salon is more focused on cutting. About 90% of his customers are women, he said, though he will sometimes do short haircuts. He’s happy to refer people to another hairdresser if they need something different.

“I like longer appointments,” he said.

He has seen some changes in the business over the years.

“It’s interesting how many people these days are more direct,” he said. “They might say, ‘I don’t really feel like talking,’” which is fine. People booking online can even opt for a “quiet appointment.”

Foucher said he never had any doubt about what he wanted to do when he grew up.

“I always knew I really liked this, even before I got to high school,” he said. “I was working at a salon for a year by the time I graduated.”

After working for a time at Lynn Wiles, he moved to On Point Salon and then Glow Beauty Bar for six years. When it came to looking for his own place, he knew he wanted somewhere quieter and more intimate.

After finding the former Stone’s Tattoo space at the Maplewood Shops, he needed to make some alterations, but he said the whole thing came together really quickly.

As for the name, Le Beau was not his original idea.

“Throughout the last 17 years I thought I’d do something under my own name,” he said.

He thought of “J. Foucher,” a rhyme if the pronunciation is the correct French one. But most people pronounce the name “Fowtcher,” which doesn’t work so well.

Le Beau — “the beautiful” in French — had some significance for him, and once he thought of it, he didn’t change his mind.

The salon is open Tuesday through Saturday and appointments can be made online at lebeau.glossgenius.com or by calling 413-426-2011. Since there’s more foot traffic in the neighborhood, Foucher said he’s open to the idea of walk-ins also.

James Pentland can be reached at jpentland@gazettenet.com.