Owner and Master Hair Artist Melyssa Graham opened the doors of Thomas Taft Salon on 2nd Avenue in 2013. During Melyssa’s decade-long experience working in Manhattan salons, she bore witness to an odd reality. Although her industry appeared to be female dominated, most hair salons were owned by men. While she couldn’t be sure, this duplicity seemed to fuel another nagging thought; some of these NYC salons lacked authenticity. Melyssa decided to fill this gap. Thomas Taft Salon is named after Melyssa’s grandfather who owned and operated a hardware store in the Hudson Valley. Clearly, working with her hands is in the genes.