Today, we’d like to introduce you to Terri Hoover.
Hi Terri, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
This journey started so long ago that I am not sure where to begin, but I do know that every step builds on the next. The small-town girl, desperately wanting to be anywhere but there, moved to Dallas and continued my bartending until I peed/urinated in my pool, so to speak.
Long, convoluted story, but the end result was that I ended up in cosmetology school, pregnant and alone. While in school, I met a platform artist for Sebastian’s hair products, and he encouraged me to come to work for his company. Well, I thought he meant as an artist… uh no! He meant sales! I sucked!
But one day I walked into a little hole in the wall salon to sell hairspray and walked out knowing I was going to buy the salon. But first, I had to convince my aunt to back me. What was her response, you ask? ‘Are you kidding me! You haven’t ever had a job over 6 months!’ But she did, and 35 years later, I’m still standing! I started out there in that little strip shopping center on the edge of Lake Highlands, and I began my migration into the heart of the community. I picked up some key players in the process. If I hadn’t, we would not have been telling this story.
I became an educator for Redken Hair Care and began teaching classes. In one such class a girl from Switzerland came up to me afterward and told me she was coming to work for me, she still works with me today 28 years later. The next year a beautiful young girl walks in and became my first assistant, she is now my business partner. Rebecca has surpassed the teacher. We are in our 4th and final (we think) location, now at the Lake Highlands Town Center.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
So many obstacles and challenges, but here are just a few… When we moved to our 3rd location, our rent doubled, as did all of the utilities, and we added a lot of new employees and services. We had no idea what we were doing. A friend in the same business told us about a consulting company that had turned her salon around, so we decided to try it.
What did we have to lose… A lot of money, that’s what! We had to fly to Minnesota to train, so the cost was way more than we could afford, but we did it. The first day I cried, I thought we had probably screwed up spending all this money. Rebecca asked me where my faith was because she knew I was a woman of faith. But I was scared. I prayed, and the next morning, flipping through channels while she showered, I landed on a station where a TV evangelist’s first words boomed, ‘WHERE’S YOUR FAITH!’ A sign? I don’t know, but I do know it rebooted my soul, and I/we jumped in headfirst, and we still use that consulting firm today, 20 years later.
At that point, we had been donating gift cards to all the local schools for a long time. It was a win/win; the school could auction it off and make money for projects, and we could build a new stylist or massage therapist. Well, that therapist left, and a lady wanted to use a card that had been donated almost a year and a half before.
We gave her the option of a heavy discount for the current therapist, and she basically told us she was going to burn us in the neighborhood. She actually sent the head of the HOA from the neighborhood next to us to threaten us. Fast forward, I was asked to speak at a women’s gathering, and there they sat in the front row. I got to share that we had hit a million dollars for the first time ever! Touche’
Our biggest challenge came when my oldest son was killed in a car accident in 2005. That is, Rebecca really stepped up and took over. As you can imagine, I was a mess (more than normal). Lot’s came with that, it shook us all to the core but the neighborhood that we had served for years and my church family at Lake Pointe paid for a funeral that no parent is prepared for.
Through that, we started Clicki4life.net, a foundation that educates young people on the importance of seatbelt safety. You see, I did not know that over 50% of teens killed in car accidents are not buckled up. We collaborate with an artist who paints for the sole purpose of supporting nonprofits such as Clickit4life. Her name is Nancy Pfau. We offer her work at the salon.
And, of course, the damn-demic of 2020. Whatever your views on that, we could not/would not let it take down our business, so we regrouped. We sold color kits for people to take home, did curbside product sales, and, as soon as possible, went back to work. And in the middle, we had to renegotiate our lease, not knowing what our future, even our country’s future, held.
Obstacles and challenges just make you stronger IF you surround yourself with the right people, and for me… pray!
Thanks for sharing that. Maybe you can tell us a bit more about your business next.
There are thousands of good salons in Dallas! The thing that I feel sets us apart is our staff’s ability to work as a team to make sure that the client has the best possible experience.
From the Guest coordinator’s greeting to the educated stylist/therapist who interacts with you all the way back to the front desk, we try to make sure you feel served. We are a Redken Elite Salon, which means we take color seriously, and we use Loreal brand products to make sure you get the color you deserve, whether that is covering sparkles of grey or it is a Hollywood balayage!
On your first visit you will enjoy a complimentary aromatic hot towel deep conditioning service (always available/ first one free) and 20% off any haircare products (first visit) and of course a consultation and excellent service.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you, and can you share any important lessons or epiphanies with us?
From my perspective… Not everyone, including the government, has your best interest at heart. You have to find your people, and you have to respect others. For me, that does not mean I have to change the way I feel or the things I do; I have to acknowledge others’ feelings and move on. But I will not live in fear due to others’ fear. Frankly, I do not give it much thought anymore.
The crisis was handled poorly from beginning to end, and the fallout has devastated a lot of families and businesses. But I also know that we shouldn’t have expected any more than we got since it was uncharted territory. So we did what was right for us… we did hair, albeit different than before, for a while.
My biggest takeaway is this, just because we disagree does not mean I don’t like you, I just disagree and that is okay.
Next…
Pricing:
- Consultation, cut, shampoo, and dry start at $57
- Retouch starts at $76
- Balayage starts around $250
Contact Info:
- Website: www.artistikedge.com
- Instagram: @artistikedge
- Facebook: Artistik Edge hair studio
- Other: www.clickit4life.net
Image Credits
Ann West
