Wait. Are we moving?

>>Update below!<<

For the past couple of months, we’ve been trying to keep our guests in the loop regarding a possible change in location.  For the time being, nothing is set in stone, but we are negotiating a lease.

Was the Glass Door Salon looking to expand?  No.  Not really.  We LOVE our little hidden gem of a salon.  It’s crazy convenient for me as a mom, especially when I can pop over and do my son’s hair while still in my jammies!

But then a perfect space smacked me right in the face… or so it felt.

You know how if you went looking for a very specific pair of shoes, you’d never find them?  But if you were out wandering aimlessly, they’d jump right out at you?  That’s kinda what happened here.

So we’ve been back and forth with meetings, projections, applications, forms, lawyers, etc.

It’s mostly exciting, but sometimes terrifying.  Change can be scary, right?  But then we think about all the ways in which we could serve our guests better with a bit more wiggle room and we get pretty tickled about it.  For instance, the PRIVATE ROOM.  Back when I was an employee at Bristles and Shears, my beloved boss Dianne would take her guests into a private room (filled with terrifying mannequin heads) to show them how to disguise their hair loss with hair pieces.  She was a master at this as she wore a hair piece herself and understood the sensitive nature and a guest not wanting to be on display.  Then I think back to the times when I’ve had to stay after hours to shave the heads of women whose hair is falling out due to chemo.  That’s not the sort of experience that warrants an audience of strangers.  Then there’s this neighbor of mine who has inquired about me doing her hair, but I cannot guarantee the necessary privacy as she wears a head covering because of her faith.  (What if the UPS man walked in with a delivery?  What if Emma or Lindsay had a male client at the time?  You see?)  So I’ve never been able to do her hair.

And if there’s one thing I can’t stand to tolerate in this industry, it’s limitations.

We get a little peppy about the idea of a break room (in the rain or in the snow, everyone treks out to my kitchen for their lunch break).  I feel a little indulgent about having room for an office (again, most of my office supplies are in my kitchen or bedroom)!  We think, should the layout remain similar, that our guests will get to watch us mixing color, much like some restaurants allow the chef to cook in plain sight of their patrons.  Then there’s the beautiful hope that we could find stylists to round out our offerings.  Perhaps there’s someone out there who’d love to specialize in extensions or braiding or makeup applications?  Perhaps waxing or threading?  Perhaps perms and roller sets?  We presently have an apprentice, a Level 4 stylist and a Level 5 stylist.  We’d love to find some stylists to round out our tiered pricing, perhaps a little less experienced, but a quick learner, Level 1, 2 or 3.  We’d love to hire Level 4 and 5 experts who need a new home to love on their guests and be treated fairly themselves.

Did I mention the photo booth I’ve got my eye on?  Whether it’s a wedding party, a mother/daughter day out, a baby’s first cut, two besties running into each other, the long awaited makeover, a striking Before & After, or our own stylists getting super creative with each other’s hair, there are countless reasons to want to capture a moment here at the Glass Door Salon.  And I don’t mean a typical selfie.  I mean a nostalgic-print-this-out-carry-this-in-your-wallet-hang-this-on-your-fridge mini party.  I mean props.  I mean close the curtain and be silly.

Man, I love the silliness.

And I also love my team.  Never in a million years did I think I’d own a salon.  Now that I do, it brings the fullest joy to pour into these women.  (Not that I’d be opposed to hiring men!)  To see each employee realize her potential to make a beautiful impact on our guests, to see her understand the ripple effect of love and kindness extended here, to see her understand more ways in which she is valuable to each and every one of us… To gently help her discover what she’s capable of, be it behind the chair or behind the desk, just makes my heart explode.

(Haleigh’s missing from this pic, but we just turned her hair pink!)

And I want more of that.  When I’m not at work, I miss it.  I miss my guests and I miss my team.  When I come home from work, I’m a happier wife and a happier mom, more inspired, more engaged.  Should this expansion happen, I look forward to expanding my hours right along with it.

At the moment, nothing is set in stone; nothing is signed on the dotted line.

We shall see!

9/28 Update: We finally received a counter lease to our counter lease.  We are prayerfully considering it.

10/17 Update: Unfortunately, the counter lease was not a good fit for our salon. We are grateful for the experience and will stay put until the right opportunity presents itself!