Ratner Companies started with one salon and two Stylists back in 1974. Dennis Ratner was an up-and-coming hairdresser working in his father's Louis salon in Washington, D.C.
Ann Ratner, also a Stylist, had recently moved from the U.K. to the United States. It was the beginning of a new era, and the partners envisioned a unisex salon convenient for the whole family. Over dinner they sketched on a cocktail napkin a business plan that laid the groundwork for the first Hair Cuttery salon.

With only $5,000, Dennis and Ann opened the first Hair Cuttery in West Springfield, Virginia, introducing a revolutionary new brand of salon where clients could walk in and get a new look with no appointment necessary. Now with nearly 1,000 salons on the East Coast, in New England, and the Chicago area and plans to open more in the coming years–Hair Cuttery is the largest division of a continually growing
Ratner Companies.

In 1978, Ann opened BUBBLES’ first location in Washington, DC. She wanted to create a salon for Stylists who were on the cutting edge of fashion, and a place for clients who craved the latest hair trends. The formula worked, and today BUBBLES continues to be a destination for expertise and style with 33 salons in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

Since the development of Hair Cuttery and BUBBLES, Ratner Companies has expanded to include three additional brands: Salon Cielo and Spa, ColorWorks, and Salon Plaza. These new concepts allow Ratner Companies’ brands to include full-service salons, day spas and exclusive hair color specialty salons. A variety of services means tremendous possibilities for our Associates, and career paths that will help them realize their professional dreams.

As the leading privately-owned hairstyling business in the U.S., Ratner Companies believes it has a responsibility to invest in the beauty industry. This belief has lead the company to partner with Paul Mitchell in opening Paul Mitchell The School - Tyson's Corner that offers advanced classes to educators in the field to enable them to enhance their professional knowledge and skills.

Ratner Companies continues to push into other new, exciting efforts as well.