Liberty Hair Salon to Open in Former Pleasure Principle Space Downtown

Blithedale Canyon resident and longtime hairdresser Julia Danison has been looking to open up her own shop for more than a year and a half. The idea is simple: bring her longtime, loyal client base over to her own operation, where she'll simply cut hair and fulfill her dream of have a studio in her hometown.

Danison has found that long-sought space, and while she won’t be coloring hair in it, the location itself has quite a, well, colorful history. Danison plans to open her Liberty hair salon this summer at 74 Throckmorton, the former home to the Pleasure Principle, the quirky novelty shop that occupied the space for more than 48 years, until March 2011, when narcotics agents raided it, accusing its owner, Dave McDonald, of selling large quantities of methamphetamine and/or meth precursor ephedrine to undercover officers.

Those substances later tested negative for both of the alleged narcotics, and the eight felony charges McDonald initially faced were knocked down to three. McDonald was found guilty of one of those charges – selling a fake illegal narcotic, a conviction that he’s appealing.

Danison, who currently works at Luna in Sausalito, is fully aware of the history of the space she’s moving into and says she’s excited to be part of its next chapter. The space became available when Tibet Bazaar, which opened there in Dec. 2011, closed earlier this year. The Park School and Mill Valley Middle School grad is in the midst of giving the 700-square-foot space a “facelift” with help from Tamalpais Construction.

“I grew up in Mill Valley and used to go to (Pleasure Principle) as a kid,” says the 48-year-old Danison. “For me, it’s a real privilege to be there and to treat it with respect and to take care of it. I plan to be there for a long time. I’m home. And I’m so excited.”