If you are looking to pamper yourself this Mother’s Day or to give a special gift your mom will love, I am impressed with and recommend Touch of Grace Salon and Spa.

It’s one of those places in Hollywood that you’ve probably driven by a thousand times, never knowing the gem that it is.

I started visiting Touch of Grace because the manicurist Debora Turnball now offers the new Shellac manicure, and I wanted to transition from gels to something more natural. Because I don’t have time to visit a salon frequently, I need a manicure that lasts.

I’ll start with Debora and the Shellac manicure. The first time I went, she patiently and gently removed my old gels without using power tools! It was a long procedure but well worth it.

I was a little skeptical that any special “Shellac” polish could stand up to the strength of gels, but after weeks of my first Shellac manicure, I was pleasantly surprised. There was NOT ONE CHIP, and the only thing that gave away the age of my mani was my nail beds. My nails are now strong and healthy again. I’m hooked on the Shellac and tell all of my good girlfriends to try them.

While I am at the salon, I can’t help but notice that it is impeccable.  In fact, on my first visit, a health inspector popped in unexpectedly and the spa passed the inspection on the spot. I love a small business that is run with great care and appreciate it even more when the staff is friendly and the prices are reasonable. 

The Shellac manicure is only $25.  Much less than the pink and white “gels” I was a slave to every three weeks. I put gels in quotes because what I thought were gels, Debora explained, were actually acrylics. Just so you know - if you think you are getting gels and your salon is using powder, you are actually getting acrylics and being charged for gels.

If you’re a man and you’ve read this far, I’m sorry if I’ve lost you, but there is something for you at Touch of Grace as well.

Now I know this is a very sensitive subject, so I will try to put it delicately.  From what I understand, if you are starting to loose your hair or enjoy the use of, let’s say, a ‘supplemental hair enhancement’, one of the stylists at Touch of Grace, Jeff Haettich, is a magician specializing in achieving a very natural-looking result. He also does women’s hair. 

If you already have a great salon you love, then supplement your pampering regimen with a therapeutic massage. Salon owner Jackie Collazos is a licensed massage therapist and specializes in Bamboo massage. I hear it is amazing. 

They offer every other traditional and many specialty spa services as well, from facials to waxing. Touch of Grace Spa, located at 4531 Hollywood Blvd., is worth a visit...or two or three. Check out the menu of services online at www.touchofgracespa.com or book an appointment by calling 954-894-3528. 

Florida Intercultural Academy, a Broward County Public Charter School, opened its doors in Hollywood in 2005. The school finished the first year with 59 students and offered a curriculum that encompassed world studies of different cultures. Now, the Hollywood campus has both elementary and middle school grade levels and enrolls nearly 300 students.

Because of the increase in its student body, Florida Intercultural Academy has purchased additional property in Davie at 3367 N. University Drive on the southeast corner of Stirling Road and University Drive to serve even more students. The school will incorporate a “World Wise” program modeled on the United States Peace Corps World Wise Schools curriculum.

“The Peace Corps World Wise Schools program, which is implemented within our middle school, is promoting cultural understanding through an appreciation of similarities and differences of world peoples,” said Wayne Williams, a board member and parent. “It’s important that middle school students understand and value opinions and cultures different from their own, making them global citizens.”

The school hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Jan. 28 to introduce the Davie campus, and Dr. Gwendolyn Purcell, founder and director of Florida Intercultural University and a Returned Peace Corp Volunteer (RPCV-Jamaica), said the school is unique in the fact that it offers a multicultural education that focuses on a specific country each month and implements that culture into each subject taught at the school, whether math, reading, social studies or even science.

“The students will have a global attitude and a global outlook,” she said. “Specifically, we aim to foster dialogue moreover than a general textbook by offering students experiences of what life is like in places around the globe through Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCV), video DVDs, Peace Corps books, social studies lessons, Multicultural Food Fair and many other culminating lessons. Students and parents enjoy the focus of a well-rounded education inclusive of world studies.”

For more information, visit www.interculturalacademy.com.

Cool Cuts 4 Kids, part of the Regis franchise family of brands, opened its first franchised salon in Hollywood last month. Cool Cuts 4 Kids offers the latest haircuts and styles, plus the high-quality haircare products for children in a fun, kid-friendly environment. The salons feature two entertainment zones complete with video games and movies for the kids.

First-time franchisees and Hollywood residents Gary and Maggie Sarner own the new franchise and have four children, who they said were the inspiration for their new business.

“We weren’t satisfied with the haircare options for our children,” Gary said. “We thought, ‘We can do it better!’ And what better company to do it with than the largest and best haircare company in the world? We want to hire in our hometown and give back to the local PTOs and PTAs.”

Regis franchise brands are part of Regis Corporation (NYSE: RGS), a leader in beauty salons, hair restoration centers and cosmetology education.

“We’re pleased that our first Cool Cuts 4 Kids franchisee is so passionate about the concept,” said Alan Storry, vice president of franchise development. “Gary comes from a retail background, and he has a lot of great ideas that will benefit his customers in Hollywood. He is also paving the way for future Cool Cuts 4 Kids franchisees.”

Cuts start at $18.95, and families can sign up in the salon for the Cool Rewards Club and receive discounts via e-mail on products and services. Cool Cuts 4 Kids is located at 3353 Sheridan St. in Park Sheridan Plaza.

For more information, call 954-983-KIDS (5437).

Hollywood residents can take care of their financial needs at highly rated community banks where the customer and the community are top priorities.

At a time when some of the nation’s “too big to fail” mega-banks have been bailed out of financial difficulties while smaller banks are left to fend for themselves, an interesting trend has emerged: More and more people are turning to community banks as part of the fast-growing Move Your Money campaign launched last year. In the first three months of this year alone, an estimated 2 million Americans abandoned their big banks.

The nonprofit Move Your Money campaign, which encourages individuals and institutions to divest from America’s largest Wall Street banks and move to local financial institutions, poses the question, “What if ‘ordinary people’ shifted a fraction of their deposits to smaller banks?”

The project started from a discussion between nationally syndicated columnist and author Arianna Huffington and a few friends about how individuals could limit the power of the big banks and create a saner, more stable financial system. The solution: Move your money out of the “too big to fail” banks and into local banks that offer distinct advantages to the customer and the community in general. Community banks are typically more conservative about how they manage their money, closely connected to local people and businesses, more inclined to make loans they know will get paid back, and tend to have fewer fees and offer better returns for consumers.

Four Hollywood banks that have received high ratings from Institutional Risk Analytics (IRA) are BankUnited, Community Bank of Broward, U.S. Century Bank and Valley Bank.

BankUnited, which has more than 75 branch locations in 13 Florida counties, was established in May 2009 when a group of investors acquired the assets and most of the liabilities of the former BankUnited, FSB from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation with a $900 million investment.

A privately held company with $11 billion in assets, BankUnited focuses on the financial needs of growing companies, consumers, and commercial and middle-market businesses in Florida’s coastal regions. The bank, including the local branch at 4919 Sheridan St., offers a broad range of online services, treasury management tools for businesses, and traditional depository and lending products.

Community Bank of Broward, which has a branch at 4600 Hollywood Blvd. and seven other locations in Broward, is a reincarnation of the former Family Bank of Hallandale, a longtime financial institution that prided itself on its family-oriented attitude – a tradition that continues at Community Bank of Broward, where 64 of the 87 employees are former Family Bank employees.

“We call the employees family. When I speak to customers, I say, ‘Welcome to the family,’” said Hollywood branch manager Heather Keir. “It’s a friendly environment. It’s a great place to work and to bank.”

Community Bank, which provides a wide variety of standard traditional banking products enhanced by a high level of technology, is committed to giving back to the community through direct involvement in local charities, and all decisions are made locally.
“You call up and you get your banker,” Keir stressed. “We don’t have an 800 number.”

U.S. Century Bank, a locally owned and managed community bank since October 2002, adheres to the same philosophy.

“We are a family-oriented bank,” said Gerardo Mederos, manager of the Hollywood branch at 4350 Sheridan St. “We basically know all of our customers by name. They’re not a number.”

With 24 other branches in Miami-Dade County, U.S. Century Bank is dedicated to serving the financial needs of South Florida’s business and entrepreneurial community and has financed more than $1.5 billion in commercial loans to local businesses. In addition, bank officers are all local, and managers are encouraged to give back to the community through involvement in local schools and nonprofit organizations, Mederos said.

“And deposits are being reinvested into the local market, so therefore it benefits the community,” he added.

Valley Bank, which was founded in 1993 in Iowa by a group of local bankers and business professionals and expanded into Illinois and Arizona, was chartered in Florida in 2004 and offers five branches in Broward, including a Hollywood location at 3309 Sheridan St.
Valley Bank management attributes its steady growth to its founders’ commitment to “service with speed,” focus on customers’ individual needs and the hometown philosophy of employees at each location.

While Valley Bank is competitive with the mega-banks in terms of products, services and technology, the local emphasis in decision making, community involvement, and building and maintaining customer relationships is what sets Valley apart from the larger financial institutions, said risk management officer Beth Kroll, who also oversees business development and is past president of the Greater Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.

“Community banks typically cater to the small-business owner. Community banks understand the local economy, and they deliver relationship-building,” Kroll said. “It’s more evident in these economic times than it ever has been.”