And organised living, quite simply, is what she is about.
But her philosophy is not so much about storage as saving time, she says. “You do see the pressures of having to pack so much into the day and succeeding, so you’re really ahead of the game if you can be organised. In April 1995, she opened a shop, The Holding Company, on Chelsea’s King’s Road, dedicated to “storage solutions”: racks, crates and units to keep the clutter out of sight and impose a little order on the chaos of Nineties life. We’re saying it’s cool and hip to go out and drink fresh juice and do oxygen Come and do something that’s good for you”.. Dawna Walter, it’s safe to say, is not one of life’s slovens. But then, she has a business to run; she has to be organised.
What’s more, that business was born out of her firm belief that, with an organised home or office, we can perhaps go some way to imposing a little order on the chaos of Nineties life. And it’s a global concept.”While they cannot make any specific medical claims for oxygen, Ms Charron says, “Oxygen is a natural element It’s a source of life. You get a great feeling of well being, you really feel the difference. It makes some people feel more alert and some more relaxed .. We’re trying to turn people’s thinking around 180 degrees. Now you go out, you eat well, you go to the gym – and then you go out and get completely smashed and smoke. “Apparently in Michigan they tried to open a bar but people were doing oxygen next to others sipping Martinis and smoking cigarettes,” says Ms Charron “People were not putting the time and effort into that.
You find people trying to set up Jim’s O Bar and then they end up calling us.”She hopes 30 new bars will open over the next two years and 60 within five years. Britain, Germany, Korea, Australia and South Africa are particularly interested. “The nice thing about oxygen is that it’s for everyone – there is no class or gender. They have had more than a thousand enquiries.The ambience has to be right. And they knew that athletes and actors used oxygen before a big race or performance. “We basically thought this could be really cool,” says Ms Charron. “We thought we could make this an accessible and affordable commodity.”Five years of research later the idea finally became reality and the response has been so great they are now developing a franchise for bars around the world.
“You can talk, it’s perfectly comfortable and you get a great buzz,” says Ms Charron, gassing up as she speaks.Customers can also choose whether to have their oxygen plain or passed through a tumbler of flavoured water. Jazz music plays in the background to create a pleasant atmosphere.The customers are around 50-50 male/female and the majority are aged between 22 and 48. The bar is in the area of the city bounded by Yonge and Eglinton Streets commonly referred to as Young and Eligible. The clientele includes stockbrokers, board managers and performers and Ms Charron says they are anxious to include everyone; on “Oxy Wednesdays” the oxygen is half price.Charron and Hunter came up with the idea when Ms Hunter, a television news camera operator, worked on a story about a man saved by oxygen therapy from having his gangrenous leg amputated. Michael Jackson purportedly favours napping in his personal oxygen chamber. An increasing number of cosmetic products push the idea that oxygen aids your skin and health. Oxygen bars are the logical next step.At the O2 Bar, for those who want to indulge, a bartender will check your heart rate and the oxygen level in your blood.