Conversations with Berit Johnston

Today we’d like to introduce you to Berit Johnston.

Hi Berit, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’m including a recent Bio that was included in an Art project that I presented at Young at Art. I’m on the board of this non-profit that brings art into the schools. This bi gives a pretty good run down of my story, and while it leans more heavily on Art, I can elaborate on the protion that discusses my journey as a stylist. I will include another blurb I wrote recently about the salon.

Berit Johnston has been a creator her whole life. She began in Performing Arts after being cast in a professional musical and singing with a touring Chorus as a child. She was one of 12 students accepted to USC’s Bachelor of Fine Arts program and received a degree with an emphasis in Acting.

During this time, she completed cosmetology school and found that life as an entrepreneur and stylist suited her desire to surf and travel more than pursuing acting. She developed creativity, skill and artistry required to be a master stylist and educator during 8 years as a stylist in the film and skate scene in Culver city, and 8 years as a stylist in the high fashion scene on Abbot Kinney.

She completed advanced education at the Bumble and bumble University in New York and became an Network Educator. She spearheaded a program at the Abbot Kinney salon where she rented a chair called Hair Jams, where stylists were challanged to create avant garde haristyles based on a theme and master advances skills.

During that time she also competed on and won a Norwegian Reality T.V. show.

Now, exclusively doing hair in Manhattan Beach, she recently bought and renovated a salon in El porto, which is now called Endless Summer Salon.

Immediately after covid she recognized a need for art, healing, and community. She bought and built up the pop-up Art Studio Art of Summer in North Manhattan beach. This haven for South Bay residents allowed countless local families to paint on the walls, create collective murals, and work with many other mediums in this magical space before its demo.

At Art of Summer Berit found her love and talent for painting murals. She has also expanded into other forms of art including architectural watercolors and continues to discover her personal style as a visual artist. She is also now sitting on the Board for Young at Art, a non-profit that brings art to over 5000 kids in the South bay. She also recently created and presented a stained glass inspired project for the students.

And here is a little extra info about our salon:

I’m Berit Johnston and after 10 years of being a stylist here, I bought and re-branded the business from Tangles to Endless Summer Salon as a nod to our surf culture. Endless Summer is an iconic surf flick. And We keep Summer Goind all year long with Sun kissed highlights and beachy hair! Our whole team has been mainstays in el porto for years.

I also owned the pop-up art studio Art of Summer (also a nod to the name here) that was ADORED where the old el porto liquor store became YEW and is now redeveloped into housing. @artofsummermb

I’ve been surfing in el porto forever and recently started competing in Queen of the South Bay surf contests.

I’m also a board member of Young at Art, the local non profit that brings art to 5,000 south bay students. And also created and presented a stained glass project for the students that many families have hanging in their homes! The inspiration for this project is hanging in our transom window on Highland.

Our stylists Tina, Tasi and Rikki are all well known and loved in the neighborhood. Tina has 26 years at this location, Tasi 12, and Rikli rejoined the team where she started at age 16 while attending Mira costa.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My path has been fairly smooth because I enjoy what I am doing so much! The struggles of learning to be a master stylist are unavoidable and come with time and effort. I had a natural knack for understanding hair and when the physics and chemistry knowledge became engrained, I truly felt that achievement of mastery, but the first few years of learning can be scary! People are trusting you with their appearance and its not a responsibility I take lightly. We have an opportunity to make feel really good about themselves, so the pressure is high every time.

Covid was a tricky time for all styists, being closed down, but I was having a baby that same year, so while the unknowns were a challange, I was grateful my clients stuck by me, and government offered relief we could use to support our business. WE’ve come back even stronger.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Part of what set me and my team at Endless Summer apart from other salons, it that we keep it simple for our clients. Right now our industry is pushing stylists to be content creators and there is a movement toward full hair transformations on social media that take many many hours and many processes to complete. A lot of stylists are feeling social pressure to emulate these influencer stylists.

We have not followed that trend and the feedback from clients has been overwhelmingly positive. I understand that most people, like me, lead busy lives, live on a budget, and while they love how it feels to have great hair, they want it to feel easy.

I have always broken down hair maintenance in a way where my clients are in and out and usually not having all their services done on the same day. I stagger the appointments so budgets are happy and I work with natural texture to make re-styling fit a clients needs.

We create a relaxed, comfortable environment, where our clients don’t feel that they have to come in photo ready for instagram, with full make-up, but can relax, kick their feet up, do some work, and enjoy the laid-back friendly conversation. we create a non-intimidating space in which it is easy to feel at home.

Artistically, I specialize in lived-in beachy blondes but i pride myself in being able to work with wide range of cuts colors and styles. We are a full service salon and can create an amazing look for just about anyone!

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
Manhattan Beach has an energy unlike any other. I love the active lifestyle, and sense of community. Owning a salon really taps into this. Every time a new client comes in for the first time and sees one of their friends sitting in someones chair I marvel at how connected we all are. I love that you can walk or bike around this town and see familiar friendly faces every single day. And of course, i love the surf! El Porto is the best surf spot in LA and I am so lucky to be a part of the surf community here

Contact Info:

• Website: www.instagram/EndlessSummerSalonMB
• Instagram: www.instagram/EndlessSummerSalonMB

Image Credits
Joe Duarte, Summer Hopper