New Owners of Mint on the Avenue — A Note from Marisa and Mark Evans

Marisa and Mark Evans are the new owner-operators of Mint on the Avenue, the Aveda Concept Salon at 228 N Park Avenue in Winter Park, FL — Mark serves as general manager and Marisa is a working hair stylist, both present in the salon every day. Mint on the Avenue is an Aveda Concept Salon at 228 N Park Avenue in Winter Park, FL 32789 — now owned and operated by Marisa and Mark Evans, who live in the Winter Park community and are present in the salon daily.

Mint on the Avenue

An Aveda Concept Salon at 228 N Park Avenue, Winter Park, FL 32789 — a full-service hair salon offering cuts, color, smoothing treatments, extensions, and Aveda product consultations in a botanically grounded environment.

Aveda Concept Salon

A designation given to independently owned salons that meet Aveda’s standards for education, service, and commitment to plant-based, responsibly sourced professional products.

Owner-Operators

Owners who are physically present and actively involved in daily salon operations — as distinct from absentee investors. Marisa Evans works behind the chair; Mark Evans manages staff, scheduling, and guest relations.

Who Are the New Owners of Mint on the Avenue?

We are not a corporate group. We are not an investment portfolio with a salon attached. Marisa and Mark Evans are owner-operators — here in person, present in the daily life of the salon as well as in guest care. Mark Evans serves as general manager, which means he is as likely to be handling payroll or answering the phone as he is to be in a conversation with a stylist about a guest’s color history. Marisa Evans is not simply an owner; she is a passionate hair stylist with a mission to create a welcoming, calm, and genuinely positive experience for every guest who walks through the door.

We live in this community. We walk Park Avenue. We know the rhythm of the Saturday Winter Park Farmers Market, the particular quiet of Central Park on a weekday morning when the koi ponds catch the early light, the way Hannibal Square feels in the evening. Winter Park is not a backdrop for us. It is home — and Mint, we believe, belongs to it in a meaningful way.

What Did the New Owners Find When They Took Over?

There is a particular responsibility that comes with new ownership of something people already love. We did not arrive to reinvent. We arrived to understand — and then to steward. What we found when we looked closely at Mint on the Avenue was a salon with genuine soul: a team of skilled, caring professionals who take their craft seriously; a guest list built over years on trust and consistency; and a reputation, earned slowly and honestly, as a place where people feel seen.

The previous chapter of Mint was written with care, and we have read it closely. The warmth that guests describe — the sense of being welcomed rather than processed — is not incidental to what Mint is. It is the entire point. Our role as new owners is to protect that quality while creating the conditions for it to deepen.

The team we inherited is exceptional. Their skill is visible in the precision of a cut, the dimension of a color, the smoothness of a Brazilian Blowout finish, the integrity of a VoMor extension application. It is equally present in less visible ways — in the way they listen, remember, and care about the outcome beyond the technical. As owners, one of our first commitments was to them. When the team feels valued, guests feel it at every chair.

What Does Mint on the Avenue Stand For?

We believe a salon is a particular kind of place. At its best, it is a space where people come to feel more like themselves — where the conversation at the chair is as important as the work being done, where the time spent is a genuine respite from whatever is waiting outside on Park Avenue. The relationship between a guest and their stylist is one of the more quietly significant ones in a person’s life. It is built on attention, on memory, on the willingness to say: I see you, and I know what you need.

We believe in Aveda — not as a marketing position, but as a genuine alignment of values. The commitment to plant-based formulations and responsible sourcing runs underneath everything we do. Whether a guest is here for a Botanical Repair treatment, a Scalp Solutions consultation, a Nutriplenish conditioning service, or the first appointment in what we hope will be a long relationship built around Invati Ultra Advanced, the Aveda philosophy is present in every detail. We also carry Smashbox for makeup, and offer VoMor extensions, Yuko Japanese straightening, Brazilian Blowout smoothing, and ISO perms — a full range of services for the full range of guests who find their way to us.

Who Comes to Mint on the Avenue — and from Where?

The guests who find their way to us arrive from across the 32789 ZIP and beyond — from Maitland 32751, College Park 32804, Baldwin Park 32814, Audubon Park 32803, and Lake Mary 32746. Some walk from Rollins College or from apartments a few blocks off Park Avenue. Some drive past the Morse Museum of American Art or stop at Briar Patch Books on the same errand. Some make an afternoon of it — a visit to Mint, then lunch at Prato or Tabla, then a slow walk back through Central Park.

We think about that. We think about what it means to be part of an afternoon like that, to be one of the places that makes Winter Park feel like Winter Park. The salon sits within walking distance of Central Park, Hannibal Square, and the Winter Park Farmers Market — and that geography is not incidental to who we are.

What Comes Next for Mint on the Avenue?

We are in the early days of this chapter — 2025 marks our first full year as owners — and we are approaching them with more curiosity than declaration. There are things we want to refine. There are conversations we want to have with guests, with the team, and with the neighborhood. There are services we want to deepen and experiences we want to make more consistent. But we are not arriving with a list of disruptions. We are arriving with attention and intention, and with a profound respect for what has already been built here.

If you are a longtime guest of Mint, we want you to know: your relationship with this salon, with your stylist, with this chair — that continuity matters to us. We are here to earn your continued trust, not to assume it. If you are new to Mint, or curious, or have been meaning to make an appointment for longer than you care to admit — the door is open. There is no pretense here, no performance of exclusivity. This is a working salon on a beautiful street in a town we love, staffed by people who are genuinely good at what they do. Come as you are.

Marisa and I are aware, in a way that does not fade with familiarity, of how fortunate we are to do this. Every guest who chooses to spend their time and trust at Mint on the Avenue is giving us something that cannot be manufactured or marketed. We intend to be worthy of it. Thank you for the welcome this community has extended to us.

We are just getting started.

Marisa and Mark Evans
Mint on the Avenue — 228 N Park Avenue, Winter Park, FL 32789
Call us at 407.645.2264 or text 830.390.0226 to book your next appointment on Park Avenue.

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