Trevor Odho Studio is the first salon owned by the eponymous hairstylist, who's finally struck out on his own after 12 years in the hair industry.

His work history reads like a who's who of some of Toronto's best salons: Starting with a job at age 16 at John Steinberg and Associates , he moved onto Parkdale's Fringe before settling in at Day and Night .

"One's on King, one's on Queen, one's on Dundas - I guess I've just been working my way up," says Odho, now 28. "It just felt natural to come here."

The time was right to make the move: earlier this year, Day and Night was about to move from its longtime home on Dundas West to Sterling Road. "I asked (owner Chanel Croker) if it would be OK if I went off on my own and did this - which she eventually kind of knew was going to happen at some point, and she was so cool with it." Now, they're routing Odho's old clients over to the new space.

The bright-white Bloor and Shaw space, previously a shuttered hair salon used more for storage than for cuts and colours, also seemed like a natural fit: "I actually grew up down the street at Markham and Bloor," Odho says. "It was kind of nostalgic, being back on Bloor St., where I spent my entire childhood."

With the help of his brother, a contractor, Odho gutted the space in three weeks, adding century-old reclaimed-timber accents (saved from previous reno projects) and Odho's first chair, a vintage barber's seat from the '40s or '50s, which was previously used for living-room haircuts for friends.

Though Odho cut his teeth (pun intended) on men's and women's cuts, he developed (pun also intended) a deeper appreciation for colour work while spending time at Day and Night. In addition, he also offers barbering services - and since all three of his seats are vintage barber's chairs, he's definitely prepared.

He now specializes in "technical but organic-looking colour jobs" - as quotidian as grey hair coverage or as outlandish as pastel hair. "You don't get as many of those, which I think makes them a bit more special. But when I get to do that (bolder) kind of work, I not only love it, I feel very confident doing colour in general."

Ultimately, he'd like to be the stylist folks go to to get out of their comfort zone. "If you're looking for a change - especially when it comes to colour work - and you're afraid to get out of the box of what you're normally used to, I want to take people out of their element, if they're willing to, and show them something new, whether it's a small change or a big one."

He describes the pricing as standard for most of the salons he's worked in: Men's cuts start at $50 and women's at $60; colour starts at $70, and highlights are $110 and up. He's worked with countless product lines, but opted to choose Aveda , a holdover from his time at Fringe, for then new space; he loves "everything from the smell to the way the products work".

Since the salon opened in August, he's not only been welcoming longtime clients to the new space, but plenty of locals noticing the new business and stopping in to say hello. It's just one of a handful of brand-new spots in the area, including Bloomer's and Pulp Kitchen. "Being a part of the change on Bloor has been really nice. It's been well received by everyone who lives in the area that just walks in the door, whether they're curious or just want a haircut.

"When we were building this, they redid the roads and the sidewalk, which felt like perfect timing," he adds. "You could feel that change. And I remember when I started at Fringe at 20 years old - that part of Parkdale was sort of changing in a similar way to the way this is happening. It feels the same."