The Inevitable Change of the Hair Industry
My entire career, I’ve always had the thought that people will always need to have their hair done. As long as people have hair, I will always have a job — then March 2020 arrived and changed my life and career forever.
On March 14, 2020, I realized I was really sick. There was no way anyone could tell me I didn’t have COVID-19, although it was so new that no one could diagnose it. By March 17, 2020, the world as we knew it shut down. I was quarantined for over 30 days alone. By the time my 30 days were over, I regained my health and decided to make a move to my hometown. The move was difficult but necessary, I was terrified to be in the world again and all I could think about was being with my family.
Being back home in Cincinnati took a toll on me that I never thought was coming. Depression set in. Anxiety abruptly introduced itself and self-doubt came along with it. What was I going to do for money? What if I could never touch people again? Will my parents survive this new way of life? I had to peel myself out of bed every day. After about 4 months of not being myself, I had to regain my mental strength. I had to figure out my future. My brain went into overdrive and amazing ideas started to come out of nowhere. The main thing was that I had to become virtual. I had to allow people inside of my world in a whole new way.
After a month of sorting my ideas, I had a perfect concept — an online hair cafe. A place to showcase my work, share my favorite products and lifestyle items, and most of all a place to teach and share my knowledge about the hair industry.
I immediately began my hunt for who I need to help me bring this vision to life. The first person to offer their assistance was one of my sisters. She is a talented seamstress and offered to create all of my Silk accessories for me. The second was my niece who was attending hair school and certainly the main component was my website designer, Stina Fay, who listened to my vision and dream and couldn’t wait to go on the journey with me.
Stina gave me 2 months’ worth of homework that had me not only dive deep into who I was as a salon owner and businesswoman but who my guests are. This helped me tap into what my guests need, love, and most of all — why my guests continue to support me. My favorite questions she asked were “what’s my guest’s ideal vacation?” and “ what songs best describe my guests?” This helped me really tap into the lifestyle behind the brand of Salon 902.
Another fun part of my journey was choosing merchants that also related to my lifestyle and matched my favorite things. I love to wear a hoodie no matter the season, coffee is my favorite drink and nothing touches my hair except 100% silk. You can see the love I’ve put into this on the Shop902 page.
Essentially, this inevitable change in the hair industry helped shift what my business is today. Salon902.Com is an elevation of who I am and what I’ve overcome in the past 13 years of having my own business. I hope you all can feel the love I poured into welcoming you to be my guest!