Clayton salon stays in local hands after death of popular owner

CLAYTON, CA (Apr. 15, 2022) — The Permanent Solution Beauty Salon in the Village Oaks Center in Clayton will continue under local ownership after the death of proprietor Ann Welty last December.

After 17 years as a stylist at the shop, Katie Coakley took ownership of the business on Mar. 1. She and Welty were friends as well as colleagues.

“Mom was regarded as a true friend by her clients and coworkers,” Chris Krnich, Welty’s son, told the Pioneer. “We are really glad it’s worked out this way.”

The shop currently has eight hairdressers including Coakley. She is “not opposed” to adding more, she said.

Coakley plans to update the 30-year-old business with paint and flooring. The shop will close April 15-20 to complete renovations. When it reopens, it will be as The Orange Door, which was the name of the first shop Welty owned when she was 22.

“We want to move forward in a positive direction,” she said. “And just do the best we can for Ann.”

Coakley is an Antioch native and a graduate of Los Medanos College and the former Deloux Cosmetology School in Concord. She lives in Clayton with her husband, a teacher at CVCHS, and two boys.

The Orange Door is at 6200 Center St., Ste C, in Clayton. For appointment, call (925) 672-8990.

Related story: Obituary — Ann Leslie Welty, Dec. 6, 2021