Today we’d like to introduce you to Kylie Luke.
Kylie, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
When I was in high school, I was working diligently towards graduating with a perfect GPA and getting into a well-respected college. For fun, I would play around with a few brave friends’ hair as well as my own, but I didn’t think I’d be interested in working in a predominately female industry. After a few years of trying different schools and career paths, I finally decided to follow some advice from my parents: Don’t get into a career where you’re working for the weekend; find something that you’re passionate about so that you look forward to every day of the week. I finally realized that, regardless of how much money I did or didn’t make, I’d be a happier person doing hair than sitting at a desk. I decided to leave college and attend Paul Mitchell the School Esani. Not only did I fall in love with the hair industry, but I also met and fell in love with my husband. Right after graduating from Paul Mitchell, I worked at a salon where I received additional education and was really able to discover my passions within the industry. At the end of December 2015, I decided to join my husband and his parents as co-owner of the King and Queen at 8 Salon, which is located in the Concourse Athletic Club at the iconic King and Queen Towers in Sandy Springs. In addition to working in the salon I’ve had the opportunity to travel to weddings and photo shoots to do makeup and hair on location, and I’ve become a hair cutting educator as well. I’m really having fun discovering who I am in the hair and makeup world through the opportunities that I’ve been given.
Has it been a smooth road?
When I first started hair school I really struggled with styling, and I was clueless about makeup. I had a really difficult time learning to cut hair, too. There have been a lot of discouraging days and there still are sometimes, but those days have driven me to work so hard. I put in a lot of hours learning and practicing because nothing feels better to me than seeing myself become the artist that I used to daydream about being.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the King and Queen at 8 Salon story. Tell us more about the business.
The King and Queen at 8 Salon was opened by my parents-in-law, Thomas and Cindy, and my husband, Isaac, in November of 2014. Thomas and Cindy told Isaac that if he got into the hair industry and really loved it, they could open a salon together one day, and KQ8 is that salon. The salon gained a lot of business in a short amount of time, and I joined my family as co-owner just a year after the grand opening. For right now we are a tight-knit, five stylist salon and we love that our clients feel like they’re part of our family when they come in. With a service list that includes cutting, coloring, Keratin, extensions, waxing, makeup, and weddings, I think it’s great that we feel equally confident in each of our areas of expertise. I’m proud to have a salon full of stylists who are all so passionate about hair and excel in this industry.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I think fun hair is finally making its way into the professional world; this year in particular, I’ve noticed a huge increase in the number of clients asking for purples, pinks and blues- and many of them work in offices! As statement hair becomes less taboo, I think there will be a lot more people getting brave and going for bold colors.
Contact Info:
- Address: 8 Concourse Parkway, Sandy Springs, GA 30328
- Website: kq8salon.com
- Phone: 770.698.1606
- Email: kylielukehair@gmail.com
- Instagram: @kylielukehair
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