Express Tan, featured as August’s Member of the Month, has 17 locations throughout Kentucky and Tennessee. Owned by Ronnie and Johnny Allen and run by Jamie Hernandez, the salon has flourished due to it’s many specials and aggressive approach to advertising. But the company isn’t overeager to expand, it’s all about finding the right opportunity for the business.

Q: How is the future looking for Express Tan?

Ronnie: We are not looking at building a huge chain of salons taking it easy expanding when the opportunity comes up. if it wasn’t for all the negative talk, I’d be looking at expanding at a much faster rate. We have wait-and-see attitude. We are more interested in buying an existing salon right now. You have to take a look at the whole area: Sometimes you can go into a town and just dilute the market, which does nobody good.

Q: Why do you think there is an advantage to purchasing an existing salon?

Ronnie: When buying an existing salon you can get a better deal if it’s a salon that’s set up similar to yours. Some have an existing customer base, you just go in and take it over. But whenever I open a new location — pre-existing or not — I have a problem with diluting the market too much. In some of these towns, the stores are already being run right; all we would have done is diluted the market so no one have done well.