You don’t need me to tell you times are tough. They say hair salons are one of the last things to take a hit in a recession. That and bars (so the story goes). Over the last few lean years, though I’ve seen a number of clients go due to job loss or over all budgeting cut backs in general I’ve stayed pretty busy. I’m blessed every day to enjoy a thriving clientele of folks committed to treating themselves to great cuts and colors. People may not be able to afford that new car or that trip to Hawaii but for a couple bucks a day many are still making room for great looking hair in their budgets. There are those however who have been hit really hard or who’ve been struggling for a longer time then they’d ever expected to have to struggle in this economy and for them, being happy with their look is becoming a luxury of the past. It’s discouraging, demoralizing… downright humiliating to show up to an interview or important social event with a scruffy cut or grown out color. In this market, you can’t afford to interview looking tired and unkempt. What to do? Some people try box colors and cutting their own hair but that can prove disastrous. Others go for Groupons or visit the discount chain salons hoping to get the same results from rookie stylists at half the price. Sometimes it works out… some times it doesn’t . I received an email from a client the other day who I hadn’t seen for a while. It was honest, humble and straight to the point. She had a big interview coming up and was wondering if I’d be willing to cut her a deal on her hair this time.
I don’t usually discount my services. I find that the long term clientele that’s a good fit around here aren’t generally the folks looking for the cheapest deal in town. Reading Sharron’s email really made me think though.
I’m lucky. I’m blessed. I’m being well taken care of. Thanks to all my wonderful clients, I’m able to do what I love every day and be well compensated for it. I told Sharron sure…. asked her what she could afford and we agreed on a good price and time. This experience got me thinking. There may be more people out there who have important things coming up… a job interview, an anniversary, a child’s graduation. You need a great Seattle hair cut, or the best Seattle hair color you can swing for this occasion but money is so tight. What to do? Well, for the month of July, I would like to offer some assistance. Simply email me your story to hairbyjoey@gmail.com, let me know what you need and what you can afford and we’ll see what we can figure out. It’s the least I can to to say “Thank You!”