Today we’d like to introduce you to Kayleen Espinoza.
Hi Kayleen, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
Seventeen-Twenty Studios
My testimony started from such a young age. But made me who I am and got me to where I am today because of Jesus Christ.
My biological father was an alcoholic, he ended up getting drunk and shot himself.
His father was an alcoholic, got drunk, and shot himself too.
Fast forward to me, Kayleen, I turned into an alcoholic as well, ended up having one of my wild nights, but The Lord intervened and said “No, this generational curse ends right here”
I was always interested in hair. Growing up in small-town Roswell New Mexico wasn’t necessarily the highlight of my life, but was a stepping stone that God used to get me to where I am today. High school definitely wasn’t my best friend. Putting myself in situations that constantly got me in trouble or hurt. Hanging out with the wrong crowd. Easily influenced. I had no identity. Most young people today can relate.
My grandma was always someone who I looked up to. She is a self-employed cosmetologist, still doing hair and still going strong! Mostly I looked up to how strong of a woman she is, going through the death of both her husband and son, she still remained such a bold, strong Christian woman. I admired that so much!
Even if at the time I didn’t necessarily know who God was or have a relationship with Him yet I saw something different in her.
I grew up in a Christian home. My parents did their best instilling in me what they knew at the time, but I didn’t want anything to do with it. It just felt more like a religion to me with rules. Until one day I met Jesus. But I’ll tell you more about that soon.
I was influenced and in awe of my grandma and always thought to myself “Man, having my own schedule and being my own boss, I can do that too!”
Once I graduated high school at age 18, I said, “I don’t want to be here in this small town anymore. I want to move, move somewhere big. Do something exciting.”
College definitely was not in my books. I’ve never been fond of it, but mainly because I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do with my life yet. I didn’t want to waste money and just go to college because the world says that’s the next thing to do. I was at least interested in hair, so I thought “hmm I’ll give hair school a try. But not here, not in Roswell. I want to move somewhere big”
So, I chose Dallas TX! I looked up some amazing cosmetology schools in Dallas and decided to make a road trip to tour a couple.
First on my list was Paul Mitchell School of Cosmetology. As soon as I walked in, I fell in love! I said “Yepp this is it; this is where I want to go”
I decided not to waste my time and tour any other schools, my mind was made up.
So, I packed up my belongings and asked my best friend Jenieva if she wanted to move with me to Texas. She thought about it for a while and decided life’s too short not to take risks! So, we did it. Just 2 young girls moving to a big city.
At the time in my life, I guess you can say I was running away from something but at the same time not running toward anything.
I get to Dallas and realize how much freedom I have. But unfortunately, not in a good way. I realized I had no accountability here. So, I went wild. Drinking, drugs. Over time I fell into a depression.
Don’t get me wrong, I still had hustle and honored my commitments of what I had to do to get to where I wanted career-wise.
I still had bills to pay. So, I worked my 8:00 am-4:00 pm job as a personal/legal assistant. And I learned a lot of life there.
And then went to school until 10:00 pm during the week. Don’t forget to include that awful Dallas traffic every day, back and forth. But still found time to party and live the life I thought I wanted.
But then one day, my fiancé at the time (now husband) threw me a surprise birthday party. He invited our friends over and it was lit! But I ended up having a little too much to drink, as usual. And couldn’t control my emotions. From what I was told and somewhat could remember I sat in the closet and cried and threw up everywhere. Everybody ended up leaving after a while, so it was just me and Nick. (My fiancé)
He knows how I get when I drink so he did his part and decided to go to sleep because I was already picking a fight. I was emotional and physically abusive, especially with alcohol in my system. And before he went to sleep, I told him “I don’t want to be here anymore. I don’t want to be alive”
I said things like this often, so he didn’t think too much of it. So, he went to sleep.
I stayed awake, crying, drinking alone. Battling with voices in my head telling me, “You’re worthless, you’re not enough, what the point in living, you’re just like your dad, go ahead give up. It’ll be easier. You won’t feel this way anymore”
So, I stood up, and from what the Lord allowed me to remember, I stumbled down the hall back and forth looking for my roommate’s gun. I decided to take my life right then and there just like my dad and just like his dad.
I looked for what seemed like hours for her gun but no luck. I reached into a drawer and… came across a Bible instead. I opened it and fell asleep with it on my chest.
The next morning, I still felt a bit intoxicated but I awoke and felt so heavy, burdened, weighed down, and just wanted to give up still. I rolled off the bed, fell to my knees, and just cried out! “God, I don’t know if you’re real, I just know about you, but I don’t really know you. I need you to take this weight off of me. I don’t want my life anymore, so take it. Just take it all, please. I can’t do this anymore.”
Then I felt or heard this voice. I’m not sure how to describe in words exactly what it was but I knew it was God and I heard “If you don’t want your life, I’ll take it. Let me have it.”
I sat there for so long, in the presence of The Lord. I felt Him like I’ve never felt anything before. It was the most tangible experience I’ve ever had.
So that day, right there in my small apartment on the floor, I gave my life to Jesus Christ. I started completely over. Anything I did. I did it unto Him. I’ve been sobered ever since! I’m not perfect by all means. In fact, I’m far from it. But I’m learning as I go to love God and love people. Especially my clients!
I finally had graduated cosmetology school. It took longer than anticipated. Originally an 18-month program for night school dragged out to 21 months for me. But hey! I finished.
I knew from day one I didn’t want to work for anybody. I didn’t want to work at a commission-based salon to start up. I knew I had enough drive, and enough hustle to build my own clientele from the beginning. And that’s just what I did. I went out of my comfort zone and passed my business cards out everywhere I went.
I began booth renting a small room with my friend/business partner Jiselle for a season in Dallas. I made sure to take pictures of each client’s hair that I did and post it on my Instagram and Facebook pages.
We had a sign framed in our room that said “No mistakes, just happy accidents” – Bob Ross I believe said this. And that was so true, I definitely learned as I went. What to do or what not to do going forward. A lot of trial and error, especially when it came to Blonding. But now I can confidently say I am a Blonding specialist. It’s my main thing I do, my clients love it! And I love the challenge! It truly makes my heart so happy to turn my clients around and show them their hair.
Another motto I go by is “A picture is an inspiration, not a duplication”
I make sure to have thorough consultations with my clients or future clients to set the expectations of what’s realistically, scientifically possible within a couple of sessions to achieve the blonde their wanting. Which is usually platinum white hair When clients bring me these filtered, altered Pinterest-perfect pictures. Sometimes it’s unrealistic to do to their hair BUT nevertheless, I usually accept the challenge, quote them prior to service and say let’s do it!
Over time God showed me a vision. He wanted me to open up 3 salons. I said “Okay Lord but how? I barely started suite renting and you already want me to do more?”
Nevertheless, I wanted to be obedient.
So over time while building my clientele, I realized I didn’t have a salon name.
I was just using an Instagram name. And that’s how people knew me. For a while, I prayed and prayed and prayed. And asked God to show me what my salon name was supposed to be.
I didn’t hear anything from Him for a while. I was beginning to feel discouraged. And was thinking to myself “maybe I’m in over my head, maybe I made up that vision and it’s not what God wants”
Weeks went by, my husband and I walked into church on a Sunday morning and sat down. There was an event brochure on the backseat in front of me. I glanced at it. And at the time the year was 2017. In my head, I read it backward, as 1720. I thought hmm that’s odd, maybe I have dyslexia with numbers or something? Didn’t think too much of it, but as church went on, I kept getting distracted. The name Matthew kept popping into my head.
I said “Lord, do I need to pray for someone named Matthew? That’s way out of my comfort zone but I’ll do it if you tell me.” I was a new Christian
Church continued, and as a billboard going across my forehead I kept seeing “Matthew 17:20” over and over again.
Church ended. I realized I didn’t need to pray for someone named Matthew that day. My husband and I walk and get in the car, he’s trying to talk to me about something but I tell him, “Please be quiet really quick, I have to look something up”
So obviously I googled “Matthew 17:20” which happened to be a scripture that The Lord led me to and it says,
“If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain move from here to there and it will move, NOTHING will be impossible for you.”
Then the Lord spoke to me and said “You are going to open your Dallas Salon and a Salon in New Mexico; you will name the business “Seventeen-Twenty Studios” you will be a bold bright light for me! You will share your testimony with the clients that sit in your chair and I will be your foundation, you will share with people where I brought you out of and how you got to where you are today. I will provide.”
A couple months later I opened my salon in Roswell NM for renters just like myself to rent spaces, rooms, and stations from me. It’s an environment for all. We are a Christian-based company thriving off the scripture from Matthew 17:20.
It all started with a mustard seed of faith.
New seasons and opportunities have been changing yearly around Dallas for me. I’ve suite rented in multiple places in the metroplex with a consistent and faithful clientele following me everywhere I go.
Leasing suites from Dallas, to Carrollton, to Addison, to Arlington, to Grand Prairie.
Now for the year 2022, I will soon be moving to Wylie TX.
Where God says to go, I obey.
My husband and I currently have a 1-year-old and I am now 6 months pregnant.
I am still taking new clients!
I know the question is, “Where will you plant and stay for the third location for salon renters?”
I’m currently in a season of patience and waiting to see what God says next.
He is faithful, it’s not always easy and definitely didn’t start out that way. But because of Him, Seventeen-Twenty Studios and I, Kayleen Espinoza, are alive today. Truly living, and serving where Jesus leads. We’ll see what God has in store next!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Definitely has not been a smooth road. But I wouldn’t change it for anything. I’ve learned to love what I’ve gone through and I’m constantly reminded where Christ brought me out of. Blessed to live another day!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a cosmetologist. I specialize in Blonding. I’m known for getting people their platinum white hair in just a short amount of time. I’m proud to be able to have learned the science and color wheel to achieve what my clients want in order to make them smile! What sets me apart I would say is my love for my job and my relationship with the Lord. Some people say “Choose a job you love; you’ll never work a day in your life” I agree to that one hundred percent.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
What I like best about our city is the different people! I get to meet new faces every day! I get to share my testimony every day, the different backgrounds, and cultures and showing them what Christ has done in my life. What do I like least? The amount of homeless people that have nowhere to go. And the amount of child sex trafficking that’s happening right in front of us but aren’t truly aware of.
Pricing:
- Full Highlights start -$240
- Partial Highlights start – $180
- Lightener scalp retouch start -$200
- Hand Tied Extensions start -$350
- Color Corrections start -$400
Contact Info:
- Email: Text is best 214-418-6291
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seventeentwentystudios/
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/1428546043869993/
