Each week
Hand & Stone will highlight a franchisee. This week Christy and Tony Burke are our spotlight franchisees.
Location: Des Peres, MO
Address TBA—Proposed opening date: 11/1/10
Something Interesting About Christy & Tony Burke’s Story…For Christy Burke, opening her own franchise is a breath of fresh air. Having worked as a low-level manager for a supermarket chain for the past eight years, Christy is more than ready to take on something that she herself can control. As such, she and her husband Tony are teaming up to open the state of Missouri’s very first
Hand & Stone spa, a venture they expect to be challenging but also highly rewarding and a lot of fun. The Burkes will run the franchise as a husband and wife team, and even their four children, whose current ages range from 10 to 16, have expressed some interest in working at
Hand & Stone someday, perhaps as a part-time job. The Burkes anticipate a lot of future growth for
Hand & Stone throughout Missouri, hoping to eventually open four or five locations.
What Christy & Tony Burke Did Before Hand & Stone…Christy worked as the manager of a grocery store chain in Missouri for eight years before she decided she was ready to be her own boss. The new
Hand & Stone franchise will be Christy’s pet project—she will handle management and day to day operations. Her husband Tony has worked in the aerospace industry for the past 25 years, and will continue his work as an automated specialist, a title he earned three years ago, even as he takes on the financial side of the new
Hand & Stone franchise. Notably, Tony will be a valuable member of the team, given his past business experience as owner of a small general contracting company.
Why Christy & Tony Burke are Excited About Becoming Hand & Stone Franchisees…The Burkes are thrilled about opening up a
Hand & Stone because of how much potential the franchise has. They are particularly excited because they will be the first to bring the
Hand & Stone franchise to Missouri. While they realize they’re opening their new business in a tough market, the Burkes say they are more than ready for the challenge, and look forward to their first opportunity to work together as a team. Their confidence comes not only from their trust in each other, but also from their enthusiasm for the brand itself. They love the wide variety of services that
Hand & Stone offers, from massages to facials to waxing, and they appreciate the spa’s uncommonly reasonable prices and know their customers will too.
Community Involvement…The Burkes have always been deeply involved in their community, and look forward to running their new franchise with a community-oriented spirit. Already involved at their local church and their children’s schools, the Burkes plan to utilize these local ties for the betterment of both their business and their community. They also plan to team up with the Chamber of Commerce in order to establish strong bonds with other local business owners as well as their inevitably satisfied future customers.
Hand & Stone has just announced its expansion plans for St. Louis. Check out the St. Louis Business Journal article to find out more about Hand & Stone’s development in St. Louis and throughout the Midwest. The brand’s entrance into the market will be led by a husband and wife entrepreneurial team: Tony and Christy Burke!
