Today we’d like to introduce you to Kathy McCaffrey.
Kathy, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My husband Adam and I (hence the name Kathy Adams) decided to move forward on an opportunity presented to us to open a salon in the Mall of Georgia. It meant starting over in a new area as we lived 60 miles away from where the mall was being built and we had just found out we were expecting our first child….but, we went for it. We opened Nov 1999, with 3 stylists besides ourselves and one receptionist and no clients! The crazy thing is we never even thought for a moment we might fail. We owed everyone money, or so it felt. We borrowed from my dad, a family friend, we had a bank loan, we used all of our own savings. Adam’s parents put their house up for collateral for the bank loan and we did the same. When I look back to that 17 years later it’s hard to believe how everyone believed in us too.
We hit the ground running and have always done our best to focus on great customer service and education for ourselves and our staff. Within a few years of opening, we were recognized by Salon Today magazine as one of the Top 200 fastest growing salons in North America, and we were on that list for 7 years. We believe we grew like we did because of our commitment to continuing education. Because we take our classes together as a team it has helped us build a culture to where we help each other and work really well together. It’s something I know our clients can feel and see and I get positive feedback about it frequently.
As our lease was coming to an end in the mall, we knew we needed a larger salon and decided it was best to move out. We only moved a half a mile down the road, but it enabled us to double our space. We’ve been in our current location for 7 years and have been voted Best of Gwinnett for 6 of those years and hopefully, we’ll make it for 7!!
Has it been a smooth road?
We had struggles of all sorts from building a team to building a clientele and building a brand. Adam and I worked for a year straight without a day off together (except for the 3 days a year the mall was closed) while raising a new baby! It took about 3 years of really hard work and not letting up, no vacations to get our business really going. Looking back it was so worth it, although I rarely look back on that first year, it was really harder than I ever thought it would be. As we grew we had to keep learning to manage a larger team and work a system into our salon that would help grow new stylists as well as help retain our long term stylists. Another challenge was our decision to expand into a larger space. Leaving the mall was scary for us, but it’s been wonderful. We have a much larger salon, better parking for our guests and we can have our own hours of operation.
Has there been people or an institution that has played a pivotal role in your career?
There have been many people who have helped us along the way. I can say I wouldn’t have stayed in the industry without the mentorship of Woody Long who I assisted under after about 4 years into my career. The knowledge he passed on to me and the hard work he expected of me changed me for the better and it’s something I’m passionate about passing on to others through our apprenticeship program. Jim O’Brien for presenting us the opportunity to open a salon in the Mall of Georgia and really taking a chance on us. I don’t know if we would have ever done this without him. Jenny Coleman, our first salon rep really was so dear to me. She was part of our team for over 12 years. She helped me place the first startup order for our salon, she came and helped us set up our retail area. We worked so closely together with our whole team. Without her encouragement, especially in those early years when I was juggling starting a new salon and babies, I would have cracked. I just know it.
What type of clients or projects do you look forward to most?
We love doing all types of color on all types of people. We typically have a professional photo shoot once a year that we all participate in. We color and cut the model’s hair the week prior so that photo shoot day is just hair styling and makeup. It’s a fun day at the salon and we love having the opportunity to showcase our work.
What do you know now that you wish you knew when you were just starting out?
Well…you just can’t know the things you know now when you first start. If I’d known how hard the first few years were going to be I might not have done it!! (ha ha!) Adam and I developed a salon manual after the first few years and it gets adapted as necessary. Having rules and structure in place is important to running a business. I wish I had really realized that from the start. So, as a creative person in a creative field, learning that structure is vital to the success. I wish I could have known that from the start.
Pricing:
- haircuts $45-$60
- balayage $120+
- extensions -priced upon consultation
Contact Info:
- Website: Kathy Adams Salon
- Phone: 770-831-7874
- Email: kathyadamssalon@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kathyadamssalon_/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KathyAdamsSalon/
