Downtown Mane Street

It is a hub of various activity within a venerable downtown building. Located at 626 Queen St. E., the locally-owned, family-operated business is home to Mane Street Salon and Spa, Mane Street Cafe and Boutique, and Achieve Fitness and Wellness Center.

The back rooms of the neat, tidy and spotless facility are where the beauty salon and spa are housed.

The front portion of the building is where the cafe and boutique are featured.

And across an enclosed hallway from the cafe and boutique is where the fitness and wellness center is located.

Born, raised and educated in Sault Ste. Marie, Krista Nolan owns the businesses with considerable help from her husband, Aaron Nolan, and her sister, Liana Hryniewicz. Liana serves as the full-time manager of the cafe, which also features a popular, licensed, outdoor patio bar.

Also active and working various jobs within the fresh, clean complex are Krista’s daughter, Sydney, her niece, Samantha, her mom, Jill, her dad, Claudio, and her step mom, Cindy.

Updated and extensively redecorated since 44-year old Krista first took over the building in 2002, expansion has taken Mane Street from its beginnings as a salon and spa to include the cafe and boutique, and the fitness and wellness center.

In all, the main floor of the building encompasses 10,000 square feet.

Originally the home to Kresge’s department store decades ago, the building later housed Jupiter, which was an affiliate of the giant Kmart retailer.

Meanwhile, owning and operating a business in downtown Sault Ste. Marie has not been without major challenges over the past 15-20 years. But Krista believes that downtown revitalization is happening.

“I would say that this summer is the best one we have had since we have been in business downtown,” Krista told Sault Business Matters. “I think as a whole that we are starting to turn the corner in the downtown area. The number of new businesses that have opened downtown over the past year or two is really noticeable.”

But more needs to be done to attract more residents downtown, said Krista.

“We need more community action,” she said evenly. “We need more downtown events, not just a street party here and there. We need to identify themes and have music nights, fashion nights … events where downtown business owners and the Downtown Association all work together.”