Avanti Salon’s 50th anniversary solidifies reputation as Boston institution

Stephen “Alex” Iacobacci vividly remembers the day when his career took a huge turn.

As the current owner of Avanti Salon on Newbury Street in Boston , Iacobacci recalled the salon’s original owner, Sally Drinkwater, telling staff the business was shutting down one fateful day in the 1990s.

“We came to work one day, and she (Drinkwater) said, ‘Pack your stuff. We have to close today.’” Iacobacci recalled in an interview with MassLive. “And that’s what happened. And we were all outside with our garbage bags full of stuff.”

Little did Iacobacci know, but he would go from standing jobless on a city street to owning one of the most successful and oldest salons in Boston.

With endless determination — and many nights sifting through paperwork on the salon’s floor — the seasoned hairdress