A new Foxy Box Laser & Wax Bar location has opened its doors in Cambridge, Ontario, with franchise owners Tracy DeSantis and Mark Ehrlick at the helm—two seasoned professionals who are boldly stepping into the world of entrepreneurship.

The brand has a strong story. Foxy Box Laser & Wax Bar is a trailblazing, gender-neutral wax bar dedicated to delivering top-tier hair removal services with efficiency, expertise, and a whole lot of fun. Founded in 2012 by Kyla Dufresne, Foxy Box has redefined the waxing experience with a commitment to inclusivity, humour, and exceptional customer service. The company’s innovative approach includes offering a first-time free wax, a strong membership program, and a vibrant culture built around empowerment and self-confidence. As the first  wax bar in Canada to go gender-neutral and a Green Circle Certified business, Foxy Box said it is leading the industry in both inclusivity and sustainability.

DeSantis and Ehrlick bring their own narrative as entrepreneurs and first-time franchise owners.

Their new location opened May 10 on Hespeler Road, Cambridge’s main commercial corridor. “Being from Cambridge, we thought it’d be great if we were on the main street. So, Hespeler Road is the main street in Cambridge,” explained Ehrlick. “It’s a kind of divided up city in terms of its downtowns, but they’re all small—three cities that came together. But we’re on the main street on Hespeler Road, which is where all the commerce happens.”

The location spans about 3,200 square feet and is already bustling with activity. But DeSantis and Ehrlick are not stopping there.

“That was the plan,” said DeSantis. “We did this knowing that this is kind of our future and Cambridge is going to be the first. We’re hoping to have at least three. We want to stay in this area. So we looked at Cambridge, Guelph, and Waterloo-Kitchener area.”

“W’ve got to get one up and running, understand what that takes,” said Ehrlick. “And then the goal is to open, two more, quicker, within a shorter timeframe and then expand from there based on what we see, maybe even further reach than the KW area.”

The couple discovered the Foxy Box brand separately—both through social media. “Mark followed their journey through construction with another franchise in Hamilton, which is the closest franchise to us,” said DeSantis. “And I saw an ad for them on Facebook advertising their franchisee opportunities. And I reached out and I said, ‘Hey, I’d like more information.’”

“Mark and I were talking about, you know, this stage in our lives—if we don’t do it now, we’re never going do it. So let’s pick a business that we’re going to focus on and let’s start that journey together,” she added. “And so we reached out and just that experience of itself was amazing. And we’re like, we found our people.”

Before launching the business, Ehrlick and DeSantis had long-standing careers in other industries. “My career, my history, has been mostly in retail—sales, marketing, operations—those types of roles within the retail environment across major retailers in Canada that I’ve been a part of for the past 20 years,” said Ehrlick.

“I lost my job just with the downturn in the economy, and that’s when I kind of decided now is the time to really look at, you know, what can I do differently,” he said. “Tired of I don’t want to say working for the man… but I’ve put a lot of sweat equity into what I’ve done and had a long, successful career. But now it’s time to take care of me. For me personally, I want to do something that I get the benefit out of. And of course, having a partner like Tracy, who said, ‘I want to do the same thing,’ it was just a perfect combination.”

DeSantis also brought decades of professional experience to the table. “I was an administrative professional, so I worked decades at companies. My first career was 10 years, and then I did 12 and a half years at Sick Kids,” she said. “As my kids got older, I kind of wanted to be closer to home and not be going downtown all the time. My son moved to university in Guelph and I’m like, ‘Okay. We’re moving out of the city and I’m moving with him.’ I changed everything else in my life. I’m like, ‘Let’s do this.’ And literally, we opened our first day in the store the day before my 50th birthday.”

Like many entrepreneurs entering the franchise world, a major life shift propelled them forward. Asked why franchising made more sense than starting a business from scratch, Ehrlick explained:

“You can start your own business. You need X amount of dollars, you need capital, and you need a thick skin. Not to say you don’t need that for being a franchise [owner] as well, but there’s a system behind you. You’re not walking in completely blinded. You don’t necessarily have to have all the answers because there’s either other franchisees or a team behind you,” he said.

“For us, that really made the most sense. It allowed us to really take what our skillset is. If you look at my retail background—customer service, sales generation—and then Tracy’s background in administrative and HR, we had all of the components. All we had to focus on was managing that, because we had this great system behind us. And that’s really why I think franchising is such a great opportunity. But again, you have to find the right one that fits for you and your skillset—and that was key for us.”

“We felt comfortable with the support level that they offered us right from the start,” added DeSantis. “We went to BC to meet with them after a couple of phone calls, and we reached out to some of the franchise owners here in Ontario. But we went to BC to see where it started, to talk to the franchise owners there and make sure that what we were getting here is exactly what they were getting there.”

“To make sure again that that was a right fit for us and that if we needed to pick up the phone and call, we had that support. That was important to us,” she said. “We’re not 40 years ago where we can slowly build. We want this to be successful. We’re ambitious in our growth. But to know that we have that support, that we could do what we wanted to do in the timeline we wanted, with a company that had proven success.”

“They grew during COVID. That’s huge. When everybody else was closing down in this industry, they grew, and that spoke volumes to us.”

“That part was really important,” added Ehrlick. “We also wanted to go with a brand that was growing. Not to say there’s anything wrong with other types of models, but we wanted a brand that was growing and that we could be a part of—that kind of ground floor opportunity. And we’re still there. The brand has unlimited potential.”

As members of the Canadian Franchise Association, the couple is also embracing the benefits of industry connection. “Being in this industry, in terms of being in the franchise industry, being [part of] the Canadian Franchise Association, that whole industry—the support mechanism that’s there,” said Ehrlick.

“What’s fantastic is it’s not necessarily just about your brand. It’s about growing the industry. There’s a lot to learn—complexities behind different types of franchises and the different industries they occupy. But we have one common goal, and that’s to create a successful business that employs—and local, right?”

“You know, we make up a significant amount of businesses within the Canadian economy, and it’s good to be a part of that bigger group. I think we’re just going to start to experience what those benefits are now as independent franchisee owners.”

DeSantis added, “People are really starting to look at Canadian and small towns and home-based and local, right? It’s a great time for us, and our customers love that. The products we sell are Canadian and we’re from this area. We’re not a franchise from the States coming in and taking over—kind of thing. That kind of hits home. People are looking for that right now.”

“And that’s something that Foxy Box offers. It was started in Canada. So to share that story with our customers too… some of our customers have come from BC, so they already know that.”

“They know their reputation and they like that. They’d rather go with somebody Canadian right now. And you know what? We’ll take it every day. We’ll take it.”

Related Retail Insider stories:

• Foxy Box continues to expand with new Cambridge location
• Foxy Box Wax Bar Plans Major Expansion Across North America