Jen and I go way back to the days of CLUB 24 that was name we used for the old 24 Hour Fitness that used to be inside of Northwest Plaza in the Saint Ann area. That was the gym where I was happy to see all my girls and guy friends and you looked forward to going to the gym. Cassandra would be teaching a kick ass step routine, Bob would be whooping our behinds on cycling, catch Katrina doing a Zumba class, or drop in with one of Amanda's Turbo Kick classes. Yep those were the days.
So after our old hangout closed down, unfortunately we parted ways and joined other gyms. We still kept in touch through Facebook. I was so proud to see that she was obtaining her MBA after already having obtained a Masters in Healthcare Administration and working on her dreams. I was definitely floored when I saw that she had opened a Barber/Hair Salon and I knew that I had to ask her to be a part of this project.
So fast forward to this past Saturday. We were originally suppose to meet up the previous Saturday on the 13th, but life gets in the way and that's ok. I realized as well that she is right next door to another store that I enjoy frequenting from time to time, African Naturals. So after greeting each other she takes me to a different section of the Salon where we can sit and catch up on each other.
Jen stated that the original vision had been a barbershop since her boyfriend/business partner was interested in having his own business after recently graduating from barber school. She stated she always wanted to own her own business as well. So they started to save money and started small by buying used stations and other equipment. They have a 5 year business plan to allow them to gauge where they want to be to see if possibly if they will out grow their current space or might open up another location.
Now originally they were located off of Locust and unfortunately the business traffic just wasn't coming through to their area. Yet while they were there, they constantly were being contacted by ladies who were interested in renting chairs from them. So they decided to offer not only barbering services but also having hair stylists as well.
So what makes their salon unique is that not only do they offer barber and hair stylist services underneath one roof, Jen also takes pride in her staff being able to provide services to various clientele, it's not a black or a white salon. She considers their salon multicultural. They have some stylists that can offer various services regardless of hair type. She is possibly looking for additional stylists to add to her already unique roster. Her salon is great to bring the whole family.
Her present location is great because it is considered a melting pot with a mixture of various ethnicities. What better stop to setup shop? The area is nice and spacious. The main entrance to the salon houses around 6 chairs along with a few waiting chairs right by the door then off to your right is another room with additional stylist chairs, a washing room and even another room with a comfortable couch. So plenty of space is enjoyed by all that enter.
I am so proud of Jen and her accomplishments. Please check out more on Jen at #ShowYouSTL.
