“At first, I just loved the idea of doing hair. But then I started realizing how much I was making a difference in the lives of the people I was serving. When you turn them toward the mirror and they're like, ‘Oh, my gosh, I love it!’, you know that you're doing something that's making somebody feel so good about themselves. It’s that act of service that I love. It's fulfilling and it gives you a sense of purpose: you're not just making people look beautiful, but making them feel beautiful, too.
I think what makes a great hairstylist is having the attitude of a servant. We are in this industry to serve. It's not just about making people feel or look beautiful, and they're not just coming in because you're so skilled and amazing at what you do. The ultimate goal is that when people walk out of your business, they're better than when they came in. What makes a great hairstylist is being passionately driven and on top of their skill technically, but also is someone who truly cares about each and every person that sits in their chair.
People open up. We're not just doing hair, we're hearing about people's lives. You develop those relationships with people. When I retired from behind the chair, I had clients who had been with me since I started doing hair at 19. They were with me through my marriage, having children and us opening the salon. I was in their lives through every exciting moment and every heartbreaking moment.
Our mission statement is ‘To cultivate beauty and empower the soul one custom-crafted experience at a time.’ Yes, we're cultivating beauty and we're giving them the look they want, but we're also empowering them. We want them to leave feeling better.”
- Heather Spencer, A Spencer Gellise Salon in Bay City
