For Emma Davidson and Alli Scarborough, turning their dream of opening their own hair and nail salon into reality has been an exercise in friendship, hard work, and embracing the unconventional.

The duo met while working at another salon and spent about four years building a clientele and honing their skills before deciding to take the leap into operating their own business. They opened Dream State Beauty Collective (located at 182 Taunton Ave.) on Oct. 1 this year, and celebrated their grand opening with a ribbon cutting on Nov. 10.

“We figured East Providence was the perfect place to stay because our clients were already there and we were already involved in the community,” said Davidson, a 27-year-old native of Scituate. “It’s definitely up and coming.”

At just 22 years old, co-owner, Franklin, Mass. native and current Pawtucket resident Alli Scarborough still knew quickly in her career that she had higher aspirations. After meeting Emma, those dreams started to take shape and prosper, as did their friendship.

“I knew I always wanted to do hair but I wasn’t sure if I would stay doing hair or if I wanted to open a salon,” she said. “The longer I worked in the industry I realized I just didn’t want to be behind the chair forever. Once Emma and I met, I thought this was the perfect partnership to do something different.”

And “something different” is an apt, albeit surface-level description of what you will find if you wind up in a chair at Dream State.

“We definitely wanted to appeal to a more alternative audience, just because a lot of salons are the same type of vibe,” Davidson said. “We wanted somewhere that people like us could go and feel comfortable and where visually it appeals to them and our vibe is the same as theirs.”

“I think it’s a culmination of both of our personal styles. We definitely do a lot of colorful work for hair and nails, very bright and neon-centered. Like in the way be both present ourselves,” Scarborough added. “We did a lot of research on what we wanted it to look like. We wanted it to be different and stand out and be recognizable to people and be something different for the community. We wanted it to be bright and colorful and playful.”

Creating a welcoming space for all types of people was also front of mind for the youthful co-owners. With an aesthetic that this author would describe as 70s psychedelic with a splash of X Files, the shop is awash in bright neon colors and populated with self-described “wacky decor” that invites customers to come as they are, unfiltered, for a totally unique and high-quality salon experience.

“Our clients value that they can come in and just be as weird as they want to be and be themselves. They don’t have to censor themselves,” Scarborough said. “They can just embrace themselves and be as true to themselves as they want to be.”

Having already hired a couple women to work for them in the salon, Davidson and Scarborough said they were excited to be in a position to provide a starting point for other women who may want to continue growing in the industry, whether they wind up staying or going off on their own pursuits; just as they did.

“We know how lucky we are to be able to have done what we’ve done,” Davidson said. “Opening a women-owned business with only four years in the industry…We both have grown really quickly in the industry and we want people to be able to come in and make the industry what they want to be. Whether that be start with us and grow their business to a point where they can go out and do what we’ve been able to do, or they can stay and work with us forever.”

Dream State is closed Mondays and Sundays and is open from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, with additional hours 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturdays. They are currently open by appointment only, and you can reach them at 401-753-3261.

To get a sense of the unique hair and nail options and totally one-of-a-kind customized possibilities they offer, you’d be best to check them out on Instagram @hairpinsandneedles (Alli) and @emmadoesnail.s (Emma).