Kicking back, sipping on an adult beverage, and letting the hairstylist do his or her thing is one of the ultimate experiences in pampering. Hairstylist Lisa Evans likes to create that atmosphere in her salon. Evans said she wants her customers to feel relaxed when she’s working on their hair at her Lompoc salon, Love is in the Hair, and sometimes a drink helps foster that feeling.
This past September, Gov. Jerry Brown signed AB 1322, which allows beauty salons or barbershops to serve customers a complimentary glass of beer or wine (up to 12 ounces) without having to get a special permit. It’s a practice that’s already common within the industry, according to Evans, but many didn’t know that it technically wasn’t legal. The new law goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2017, despite the fact that many salons like Evans’ do it anyway.
As far as Evans’ salon goes, it’s full service. Some of the services she offers include haircuts ranging from $12 to $15 (and only $10 for her “crazy” Tuesday special); deep conditions for $20; shampoo and blow-dry for $25; and balayage coloring starting at $90—depending how long the hair is. She also offers waxing. Her beverage offerings include, beer, wine, and mimosas.
Anyone who walks into Love is in the Hair is greeted by Evans’ bubbly, outgoing personality. A longtime resident of Lompoc, she opened her salon last month.
Evans’ story begins in San Luis Obispo, where she was born and raised. Before getting into the salon business, she had various odd jobs. Then she went to San Luis Obispo Beauty College—twice—before completing 1,600 hours of training. Feeling intimidated by the demanding coursework, Evans dropped out the first time and came back to finish after taking a four-year hiatus. She graduated in 1997.
She lived in Los Osos, Santa Maria, Santa Barbara, and then Richmond, Va., before moving to Lompoc.
One of Evans’ first jobs was working at Great Clips, and she even started the Santa Maria branch from the ground up in 2012. She took a leave of absence and after receiving encouragement from her family, she decided to open her own business. This happened at age 50, proving that it’s never too late to start something new.
Evans has 20 years’ experience in the industry and her expertise is in cutting hair. It comes natural to her.
“Cutting hair is like blinking,” she said.
Many of Evans’ customers are active duty military, given her proximity to Vandenberg Air Force Base. She normally charges $12 (the same as on base, except her service comes with a beer or wine), but she will be offering free haircuts for all U.S. military veterans.
One of the important aspects of starting your own hair salon, according to Evans, is having loyal clientele. Luckily for her, she built one up after years of working at other salons. Being a single mom, she was able to support her kids by cutting hair. Now she’s happily married and has been for six years.
“That’s how you’re successful,” she said, “by building clientele.”
Social media has helped her build a client base. She gets much of her business from Facebook. She’s doing well, considering she’s only lived in Lompoc for about a year.
With a chuckle, she calls her chair the “truth chair” because clients tend to open up to her.
“One thing I’ve learned is that you’ve got to make people feel comfortable and they’ll come back,” Evans said.
Love Is In the Hair is located at 129 N. G St. in Lompoc. To schedule an appointment, call 819-0495. You can also find Evans on Instagram at @HairByLisaE50, and Facebook at facebook.com/hairbylisaevans.
Highlights
“Shop local” is the mantra for promoting small businesses and there’s no group more in tune with Orcutt businesses than, perhaps, the Old Orcutt Merchants Association. The association is holding its next meeting on Dec. 6, but the group is seeking a host. The meeting will be held from 5:30 to 8 p.m., with a networking social from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. and a member meeting from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Membership is open to all and costs $40 a year or $100 for three years. If you’re interested in joining or hosting the next meeting, call Kathryn Scott at 863-2842 or email her at kat@krse.biz. For more information, visit oldorcuttmerchants.org.
Staff Writer David Minsky wrote this week’s Biz Spotlight. Information should be sent to the Sun via fax, email, or mail.
This article appears in Nov 10-17, 2016.