Aveda Institute Columbus-trained colorist Betsy Smith co-founded Second Place Co in 2021 at 520 Second Street in Encinitas's Old Encinitas district, combining a hair salon with a curated retail boutique. Sun-kissed, low-maintenance color is the signature — hand-painted balayage and highlight placements engineered to grow out gradually without harsh root demarcation, an approach to lived-in coastal color that complements the gel and lacquer artistry at Nailtoepia Salon on Coast Highway 101. The Second Street address sits one block from Coast Highway 101 and within the LGBTQ+-affirming corridor of Old Encinitas, with the salon designated as a transgender safespace. A co-located boutique of curated fashion and accessories shares the storefront, creating a dual retail concept that blends beauty services with independent design. Color-education initiatives aim to train emerging stylists in artist-level technique and small-business development, extending the salon's impact beyond client services into the holistic self-care ecosystem that includes Blissfusion Wellness Lounge in nearby New Encinitas. Highlight placements utilize fine-weave foil sectioning at sub-quarter-inch intervals to create seamless tonal transitions between natural base color and lightened strands without banding artifacts.