Salon Áme

meone who made others beautiful but truly touched a life. In 1980, I graduated from Mary Webb's Beauty School with a cosmetology license and took it one step further by gaining a teaching certificate. Style is continually evolving, I knew, and requires that its executors do the same. My colleagues at my first job in Deer Park knew this too. Each of them had 20 years of experience but participated in the then-new Redkin Education Program. For 8 years, I looked to them for guidance while attending every symposium and conference I could, cultivating plans for my own ideal of a business. My siblings and I opened Crickets in 1990. Owning a business gave me an entirely different perspective on being a hair dresser and enhancing the experience of my clientele. Not only did I have to maintain my education, but the education of my employees, and in doing so, I joined the Toni & Guy Ambassadorship program as a Regional Product Educator for the Houston area. I continued to develop my skill by attending the Neil Quality College, a business school specifically for salon owners. However, after nearly a decade, I missed being behind the chair with my clients, and after the passing of my co-owner and brother, William, I decided, like with style, it was time for a change. I sold the business and began working as the top-stylist and educator at Lavish, for a former employee and student, for 8 years. In 2005, with the support of my loving husband, I struck out once again to create the ultimate client experience and created Salon Ame. I was able to scale down my business by renting a chair from Salon Beaute, finding the perfect balance between personal business and intimate relationships with my clients. My clients mean so much to me. Just as they've watched my girls grow up, I've watched their family's grow and seen their struggles and successes. This is the only job I know of where you get to develop intimate personal relationships, make people feel beautiful and confident and special, and get paid to do it!