Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Goddard.
Laura, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up in Rome, GA and started the traditional college route for Occupational Therapy. But after the first year, I realized it wasn’t for me. I worked with my hairstylist as a receptionist and knew I loved working with my hands, being creative and most of all making feel better about themselves. Luckily, I was right! I moved to Atlanta in 2001 and I’ve been lucky enough to work steadily in a couple of respected salons for long periods of time. I went out on my own in 2010 and that’s when I opened Laura Goddard Style. When opening the salon, I knew I wanted something different. I wanted to create a space for people to feel safe to be themselves and it had to be a calming environment. I purposely chose products without ammonia in order to give clients (and honestly, me!) a more pleasant experience, free from harsh chemicals. It’s also important to have the education behind the product lines we carry, why we chose to carry them and be able to share that knowledge with my clientele should they ask.
I’m happy to do something I love every day to continue to have opportunities to learn and grow, to continue to build my skills as a stylist and as a business owner. That’s why, as busy as I am with the business side of things as well as being a wife and a mother, I take on new challenges — like becoming a color educator for Kevin Murphy. As a Color. Key to Kevin Murphy COLOR.ME, I travel to salons in the Southeast and train other stylists on the color and assistant in hair shows. I get to be a part of an amazing company where I receive continuing education for myself, which I can then pass on to my stylists and clients. The hair industry is forever changing and I’ve always challenged myself to continue my education as a stylist and a business owner.
Has it been a smooth road?
It hasn’t been smooth, but I’ve been lucky. I was lucky to receive a good education and work along with some amazing hairdressers over the years. I worked my butt off, but it gave me a good work ethic and I have learned to always strive for more. When deciding to go out on my own, I was first looking for space but needed a temporary chair, I found a great partner and friend named Lorie who provided a chair a block away from where my first salon would be! A little over five years in that space came to the next challenge — all the stylists in that building were told that our landlord had sold off the property. So not only was I looking for a new space, I was competing with a dozen other salons for those spaces! (There’s a nice apartment building there now.)
I looked in Buckhead, where the original salon was located, but couldn’t find anything that spoke to me. That’s when I was told about the plans to renovate an empty dilapidated building in Grant Park my husband and I had literally walked by hundreds of times over the years. The timing and location couldn’t have been more perfect (three blocks from my home), It was a big location move, but thankfully, Grant Park welcomed me with open arms. Even though my family and I have been in living in Grant Park for over a decade prior, starting and running a business here truly makes it feel like home. I am so grateful to all of the support I’ve had over the years.
I don’t want to downplay how hard it was to create a space from scratch. My Buckhead space, though it needed some upgrades and paint, it was already a hair salon. Building one from the ground up is a different animal. I had to learn more than I ever wanted to know about architecture, permitting, contracting, flooring, drywall, lighting — whew! But I believed in myself and my goal — I listened to anyone willing to give advice and I hired good people which allowed me to push through to the end. It’s so cliché to say, but surrounding myself with good people only helped me be better. My husband, friends, and fellow small business owners have truly helped me see I’m not alone on this journey.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Laura Goddard Style – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
At Laura Goddard Style we are firm believers in sustainable beauty and using natural and organically inspired hair products. We are passionate about changing the beauty industry for the better and inspiring clients to use only the best possible ingredients to enhance their haircut and prolong color. We work with ammonia/PPD free hair color, organic and natural shampoos and styling products in an effort to respect the health of each individual. We offer Kevin Murphy retail and COLOR.ME, an ammonia and PPD free color line and LOMA for all of your haircare needs; as well as 100% pure makeup. We are proud that all of our products have never, nor ever will be tested on animals.
We have a deep focus on natural, everyday wearable hair that our clients can re-create themselves. We aren’t afraid to be adventurous either. We do everything from grey coverage, blondes, redheads and even pinks and purples. The art of hair painting is bigger than ever to give that natural lived in hair color. Each client’s hair is an individual canvas where, as an artist, we are able to create. We really do get excited to see our clients walk in the door every day and allow us to do what we love.
Sustainability is also our mission. Salons create a lot of waste on a daily basis. As a certified member of Green Circle Salons, we are able to cut down on waste in the salon and divert it out of our landfills and waterways through a comprehensive recycling program. We recycle hair clippings to be made into mats for oil spills. All aluminum foils, color tubes aerosol cans, can be recycled. The energy savings by recycling aluminum offset half of the energy consumption of the hairdryer use in the salon. I could go on and on about how amazing this program. Each client should know that they are making an impact on the planet with every visit. This is a program that every salon has the ability to be a part of and should be. Almost a million pounds of waste was diverted in 2017 in Canada and the US. That’s pretty amazing.
All these things, natural ammonia-free products, a sustainable salon, a relaxing space — these things to me go hand in hand to create a holistic experience to make my clients beautiful both inside and out
What advice would you give to someone at the start of her career?
This is a career that develops over time. Be patient. Get a good core education. Surround yourself with as much talent as possible. Watch, listen and ask questions. Create relationships with clients. Stay away from the drama. Be open. Never stop learning. 🙂
Contact Info:
- Address: 332 Ormond St SE Suite 104
Atlanta, GA 30315 - Website: www.lauragoddardstyle.com
- Phone: 770-547-2444
- Email: laura@lauragoddardstyle.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauragoddardstyle/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lauragoddardstyle/
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
