A message from the Owner

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"I don't do 'sales goals'..." I have said this many times, whether it be to a prospective employee, or a sales representative, and I always get 'the look'. Like, umm are you crazy?! But truly, it's something that I believe has set the stage for the way we live and breathe in our salon today. I always tell my team that their primary focus need not be on reaching a certain number every week or month, but that they instead focus on honing their craft, providing quality services and caring for the amazing humans in their chair. When you work for just money, you lose sight of what your real passion is. Anyone can stand behind the chair every day and 'cut hair', but only a passionate artist knows what it means to create true beauty, the type that has the guest leave the chair with a certain air about her, a bounce in her step. Almost every one of our guests was referred to us because someone told them how amazing they felt after being here. Guest experience is everything. It never was nor ever will it be just about the hair when really it's about that feeling. And if we're honest, you simply can't sell that.

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When I opened up the salon in 2013, I had only one ultimate goal: to create a beautiful salon for our guests to come in and leave transformed from within, and a wonderful place for stylists to explore their career path, knowing that they are truly appreciated for the artists that they are. I wanted a place where we could celebrate that artistry, a place where their imaginations could thrive, creativity flowing right through  their fingertips. Why this concept? Because after five years of working for a corporate company, I had simply had it. I wasn’t a cookie-cutter hairdresser that was going to do cookie-cutter haircuts. And I never really did embrace the whole “quantity over quality” thing. I felt like a robot in an assembly line. Every day was the same: Wash, cut, dry. Wash, cut, dry….

 

Whatever happened to the days where ladies would line up on a Saturday morning and spend their day being pampered while also being part of what felt like an exclusive social club? When did we as hairdressers start skipping the shampoo service?… Or if we did one it was so speedy that the guest hadn’t even really settled into the chair yet? What was the rush? But that’s corporate for you. Mind you, I had only ever worked in corporate, but still had this sneaking suspicion that something was simply not right. And you know what? Something wasn’t right. It was the core of their values… It was all about money. It seemed like no matter how good my haircuts or colors were, the only focus of our one on one staff meetings was always “So Allison, how are you going to get more clients into the salon?... You know if you bring more money in you’ll move up to the next level…” And it wasn’t that I was poorly productive, I brought in plenty for them, it just was never good enough. No one celebrated any achievement because if they did that, you wouldn’t feel the push to sell, sell, sell! Even if the service wasn’t right for the client, you just did the service and took the money. They cared not for any single individual woman that sat in my chair, nor did they care about me. So I left.

 

Call it naïve if you may, but I firmly believe that the only way to successfully manage a salon isn’t to get as many butts in the chair as is humanly possible. It’s about focusing on the people you do have. It’s about that client who has had one heck of a week taking care of everyone but herself and who just needs you to take care of her for once. She doesn’t want to feel like she’s part of that assembly line, she wants to feel cared for. I always tell my team, treat your clients like royalty, they are the reason we have gotten as far as we have. And serving people isn’t just about the clients. If I could give one small word of advice to anyone else in my position it would be: You have got to care about your team members. My staff members don’t work for me, they work with me, and at the end of the day they know who’s in charge, but at the same time it’s never been my salon, its ours. And I believe that there is a great amount of respect for the salon because of that. As long as I have a say, my team will always know their value. My team is not dispensable. Our clients are not just another butt in the chair. Every woman in our salon is extraordinary. We celebrate any success, big or small. This is not corporate. We don’t sell, we recommend. If you do a good job, you’re going to hear it. We do birthday cakes, and Christmas presents, and our team is a family….

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If you are wondering why I'm telling you this, it's for one reason and one reason only: I believe that we have created a truly wonderful and beautiful place here. We are blessed beyond measure to be able to do what we do, and even more blessed to call eachother family. If you are a client of ours, you already know this. If not, don’t be surprised if on your first visit you find one of us oohing and ahhing over another associates work, or if you see me high-fiving one of my colorists for creating something amazing. Or if you walk in on a dance-party. We aren’t unprofessional, it’s just how we do things. We have fun. We create beautiful things. And we love every minute of it.

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xoxo,
Allison