Avant-Garde Hair Design

Great haircut at a good value. Will be back.

I’ve been a regular at Avant Garde for the past five years. I have a shorter haircut that requires frequent trims… Any ladies with short hair who may read this will appreciate how difficult it is to find someone to give you a good cut AND give you what you asked for AND at an affordable price.
A variety of clientele frequent Avant Garde; young and old, men and women. There seem to be quite a number of regular, happy customers. In addition to cuts, I know Avant Garde offers various other salon services, such as styling, waxing and dye, but I’ve never utilized those services here so I can’t really comment on them.
PROS: The décor/​atmosphere is bright and fun. It’s very clean. Judy (the owner) is an excellent stylist. She is fast and precise. She is friendly but a nice departure from those obnoxious hairdressers who force an uncomfortable conversation on you while holding you hostage in their chair. You know the ones I mean. She also won’t pressure you into spending more on additional products/​services that you don’t really want/​need. And, HELLO, a wash, cut and dry costs $ 20. You won’t find that anywhere in Albany except maybe the mall salons… and even some of those are pricier. If you want to bring a photo in to show her the cut you want, she will duplicate it perfectly. They do take walk-​ins and she will squeeze you in if she can.
CONS: It’s a little off the beaten path, about 3.5 miles from the NY/​MA border, in a small strip mall next to a gun shop. I suppose that sort of adds to the allure, though. The business hours are short, and she is usually closed before 1pm on Saturday. I would strongly recommend calling ahead to schedule an appointment, as they have a small staff. For a while it was just Judy working there, but I understand she’s recently brought on a few other people. Things can sometimes feel a little rushed for this reason, too.
I will continue to come here for my cuts, assuming I don’t find someone with this level of quality closer to home. Try her out; you won’t be disappointed. Just don’t go on Saturday and bump me out of an appointment.