Abilene App News: Be Our Guest ... At The Hair Loft!!!

Be Our Guest

The Hair Loft & Tina Marie Lanoue

Photo by Amber Hoskins

By Karilea Rilling Jungel

Success often begins with family, and good work ethics are gleaned from the fabric of that family. Mix family and business with foresight, vision, colors and styles, dedication to education, verve for life, and you have

The Hair Loft

Located at 1330 West Crawford Street, Salina, Kansas, Lioba and Jimmy Boykin started a business in 1940, originally known as Boykin Style Shop. In 1975, Tina’s mother and father, Shirley and Kenny Jorgensen, acquired the business in 1975, renaming it The Hair Loft. Shirley came in with a partner and services provided at the time were cutting and styling hair. “There was a lot of backcombing at the time. I wish I had kept all of her books and photos of schedules and styles to show how crazy it could be. They relied on 15 minute time slots though some appointments would extend to 30 minutes.” Later on there were days that Tina would see 17 people in one day.

During those first years Shirley’s service was to maintain the styles for the women who wore their hair the same way week after week. She was one of the best stylists and color formalists, updating her techniques frequently and utilizing her artistic skills. Shirley expanded her business in the mid 1980’s to include manicures and pedicures with the coming of Tammy Taylor acrylic nail products. The ‘salon and spa’ portion of the business was introduced when Shirley and Tina made a remodel in 1998.

Pedicure Area - Photo by KRJ

Tina Reminisces

Tina Lanoue - Photo by KRJ

As family owned businesses were often operated by parents and their children, at the age of 12 Tina worked alongside Shirley and the stylists, sweeping floors and organizing supplies. There was no opting out; her parents’ rules were law. Tina felt at times that she wasn’t being given time to associate with her friends, but in the end her mother knew best. Now and then a friend would be hired to work alongside, and “Oh, the things we had to do sometimes, I tell you! We cleaned up, organized, reorganized, and we did it very well. We had the best time; people would say ‘oh, I wish I could take you home with me’ because we’d be rearranging things and making it look nicer. I cannot remember not having a good time when I worked alongside my friend.”

Products and Gifts - Photo by KRJ

Shirley often reminded Tina as she got older that Tina would “talk to people as I worked, about maybe getting their ears pierced, and how they would need to do it.” It was apparent to Tina how the clients back then felt about her mother, Shirley, and why she felt as if everyone who came to the shop loved her as well. Shirley didn’t treat Tina as a silver-spoon child, rather as a respected employee, as she did for all who worked with her. It was a little confusing at times, this division of status from daughter to employee, but as Tina grew up, she came to recognize the value of the lessons her mother taught her.

Tina later attended college and took general courses, and not knowing what she really wanted to head for, thought Physical Therapy would be a good occupation, though she didn’t know what it entailed but “it sounded good.” It was not too much later when she had a feeling about her future and questioned herself – why wasn’t she doing something she loved, and knew she was good at? “I literally woke up the next morning and called my mother immediately, and we went from there.”

Ahh…hands on head…Magic! - Photo by KRJ

“Shirley was a little apprehensive for me when I started beauty school. At that time, turnaround was 15 minutes, allowing for long hours. It was controlled chaos. But the direction in which Shirley was taking the salon, and the involvement of new techniques and ideas, which she had done from day one, was now moving forward on a faster pace. People were coming in more often as styles changed.

“The love of people is not taught – that stems from one’s character. When one has an overall education of how people like to be cared for, it becomes natural to do it for everyone you meet.

One of the things dad always said was ‘you can’t have a crutch, so don’t open up a newspaper and determine what your business is going to do and how you’re going to run it.’ The challenges were in getting our systems intact and how they could work seamlessly. Sometimes this industry is not as structured as it should be. You had to show up to work on time. You couldn’t miss days. You had to continue education. At first to get people to realize this is what we had to do to grow in order to change. We also had to alter our presentation."

When asked if she was a replica of her mother, or a good clone, Tina insists “I’m a good combination of the both of them, adapting their business sense, people sense and overall values and combining the old school/new school philosophies. Young people come in, bring a new vision, which we combine with our foundation and knowledge.

Tina’s Turn

“I couldn’t have had better coaches.” Tina refers to her mother’s business acumen as well as Shirley’s ability to never fall short on any aspect of her business and clientele. Tina came into the business in 1993 and worked alongside Shirley until 2003. “I started backing out from behind the chair and took time to work for my stylists to create more opportunities and better lives for them. This hadn’t been an option earlier.” By 2007 she purchased the business. Shirley’s legacy and spirit remains within the four walls and throughout the community. One of the “Shirley-isms” that remains is the gift bags made up for purchases – with their trademark long and curly ribbons. Tina, however, stays innovative in other ways, as in the form of current and up-to-date changes when it comes to their gift certificates. “We are not so set that we can’t make changes, because we want to make sure our guests are getting the level of satisfaction that they require; not because it is a 20-year old tradition.”

Every day is important to Tina. “Hair Loft was my mother’s name for the business. We later added ‘Salon and Spa.’ My journey is always evolving. Stagnation drives us, as a team, nuts. We can’t stand still. We are very active and doing something different in our positions at all times. We are stylists first – but we assist one another if time and opportunity permits.”

During the first years she attributes the ability to recover her sanity following work to her amazing husband. “There was a time when the children were young that I could come home, sometimes as late at 7:30 or 8:00 p.m. and sometimes later, and immediately take a bath – wash the entire day off of me. I was fortunate - my husband had dinner ready for me, and our two eldest children were taken care of, fed, bathed, put to bed. Nine hours later, I was out the door again.”

When Rudy Giuliani came to Salina Chamber of Commerce to speak, Tina recalls his comment that “‘…at that time we weren’t prepared for 9/11. But everything we practiced prior to that time, we pulled together.’” Tina explained, “That’s what we do here. One instance in 2010 was when our computer crashed and we lost everything. With immediate action we all inherently pulled together, calling people, explaining the situation. We didn’t lose any spots – or customers. We lost our color formulas, most everything else. But the full team strived and worked as one cohesive unit. We never missed a beat. We know not to panic. Since then we’ve formed groups that know to take specific measures in case of emergencies. We have an education committee to grow our associates program, and become better educators.”

Makeup Products - Photos by KRJ

Be Our Guest

Choose your flash! - Photos by KRJ

“We want to keep some of the traditions of the past. We always know what our foundation is, but our primary concern is that the guest comes first, then the stylists, then the salon. When all three ‘win’, then we know that we’ve made another good decision.” Other little things, like specializing colored towels to either male or female, are thoughtful touches that Tina utilizes. “Because,” Tina adds, “the salon is not for women only.” Men and families come in frequently. “That transformation has been wonderful! Men have been integrated into the salon as far back as the middle ‘70’s, when they had their own area within the salon. Styles have evolved for men as well, including lightly covering those gray areas. Men like to have their eyebrows shaped, and at times, hair removal as well.”

As to competition between other salons, “there is none, per se,” Tina states. “There are enough guests, via a survey, as outlying townsfolk come in to Salina for their needs.” Tina senses that every salon is hitting their marks. “People don’t have time to run from one place to another; they need a one stop station for their personal needs.” In this light, Tina’s stylists also offer makeup tips and engage the guest into learning more about what is best for their face shape, skin tones, in helping to fit their life style and profession. In other words, “we’re giving our guests a ‘complete image’”. “When a husband wants to buy his wife a gift, he knows where to come for products or spa appointments.”

A guests’ first experience with the Hair Loft is quite similar to that of “coming home.” The terms “clients” or “customers” no longer applies in Tina’s studio. Everyone is a guest, and a very welcomed one at that.