Today we’d like to introduce you to Linda Quach.
Space Salon was created by Linda Quach, Preston Parsons, & Mike Henry Linda and Preston are from Kansas City. Two best friends who moved to Los Angeles in 2015 to take our next step in the beauty industry, with more than 20 years of combined experience under our belts. Mike, from Placentia, CA, became great friends with both Linda and Preston & saw their true potential in opening this very unique salon. With his expertise in structure and business, we made it all happen! Linda is not only a hairstylist but also an educator for cutting edge hair color & styling. She has a huge love for anime, video games, and all things quirky and nerdy. It’s the best genre to turn to for inspiration and other like-minded individuals turned clients who love sitting in her chair. Preston comes from a background in art, design, and all things creative. His focus is in cutting, oftentimes taking creative, alternative approaches to the craft. He is most passionate about the ways that he can help people from behind the chair, often using space facts and personal experiences to spice up the conversation. Mike has an extensive background in telecommunications with a strong entrepreneurial spirit, coming from a family who ran a small business.
Even though he’s in charge of the business and money of our operation (budgeting, game planning, making sure we don’t fail) he has multiple creative projects constantly going and space is a great outlet for him to express those avenues. After working in several salons together, we realized we weren’t like most cut and dry stylists (great puns haha). We felt that a lot of these salons were either stuffy or became soul draining as they switched over to corporate. We loved creating, we were incredibly passionate about our craft, and we felt it needed to be intertwined with so many cool things, and most of those salons were not very supportive. It was a terrible mentality to have and watching our fellow stylists fall into a rut was the worst. Space Salon was born after years of planning and support from our friends, family and guests! We were kind of the outcasts of our industry and in turn, we gained the outcasts of the community that felt uncomfortable going into conventional salon environments. We became that hub and that safe space. We run our business for our staff and for our guests, and we’re sure not to make it all about money. We wanted it to be a lifestyle!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
SO MANY GROWING PAINS. It helps that everything we’ve experienced in past salons was key to observing what works and what does not work. We watched managers and owners bite off more than they can chew. They would focus more on quantity instead of quality. They were okay with turnover rates from clients and staff, whereas we felt it was smart to curate a strong staff and then go from there. It’s so much trial and error, finding reliable people who fit in with our team of misfits. Covid19 was definitely our biggest struggle. Finding funding to keep the salon afloat was a labor of love in itself. Shortly after our hugely successful grand opening, and only 2-3 months ish successfully open, we were shut down as we are not an essential business. So far, we have been able to survive. We are doing everything in our power to provide a clean, safe environment for our staff and customers.
As you know, we’re big fans of Space Salon. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Preston is known for precision design in cutting and Linda is known for creative hair coloring. Sometimes they both collaborate on the same head! For example, Preston will shave a lotus flower in the back of someone’s head & Linda will add color to bring the design to life. What we are most proud of is the theme of our salon: anime & space themed! A lot of our guests are in the gaming and anime industry, as well as Space-X and other engineering firms. They love coming in and nerding out with us and using those themes as inspiration. We have a Hubble deep space image on the wall in our main space and a beautiful comic/manga collage wall in the next room over! The combination of themes gets people excited and inspired when they come in. We also are super proud of our shampoo room. It’s an entire experience itself. Behind the curtains, you’ll find a dark and relaxing room with unique lighting and stars projected onto the ceiling with the sound of videogame themed lofi music for ultimate relaxation. It helps separate us from the buzz and intimidation of conventional salon environments. We wanted to create a sense of ritual in the shampoo massage experience. Our guests are not just clients. They are our family, community, our friends! We build relationships with each and every one. We curate not just what they want with their hair, but what best represents their lifestyle and personality as well!
What were you like growing up?
Linda – I was always super curious and musical. I was pretty shy, extremely passive and non confrontational but opened up if I knew you pretty well. I sort of never felt like I fit in with any friend group but at the same time, I was always friendly and sort of hopped around and made friends with everyone. I feel like I’ve always pretty compassionate for people and animals and as an empath, I valued my relationship with everything and got attached pretty easily. I always went by the beat of my own drum. Obsessed over anime, video games, fascinated with criminology, cryptozoology and a lot of really obscure subjects. I knew I always wanted to create something. I was constantly dreaming big and as I got older, being from a small town, I never imagined that I’d be out in Los Angeles doing rainbow and teaching others how to do it for a living.
Preston – I’ve always been a big nerd and very much an outcast. Through theatre, I found my voice, through art I learned how to express myself. I found community and acceptance upon entering the hair industry, later on through music, and finding my passion in serving my community. Space was my biggest fear as a kid, so it naturally became one of my biggest fascinations. Never in a million years would I have thought that I would co-own a salon located on Venice Blvd.
Mike – I was a nerdy athletic kid. I grew up in a constant state of wanting to go outside and play sports, ride bikes, and be active, while the other half of me wanted to stay indoors, write music and play video games. The computer was and still is my oasis. I was lucky enough to have friends in both worlds and a family that supported me when I wanted took interest in something. It shaped me to become the person I am today. If something interested me, I made sure to take the opportunity to learn and practice it.
Pricing:
- Haircuts start at 50+
- Styling and Special Occasion Hair Starts at 45+
- Lash Extensions Start at 150+
- Facials start at 50+
Contact Info:
- Address: Space The Salon 12324 Venice Blvd Los Angeles, CA 90066 Book an appointment @ Vagaro.com/Spacethesalon
- Email: spacethesalon@gmail.com
- Website: http://www.spacethesalon.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/SpacetheSalon
- Facebook: Facebook.com.com/SpacetheSalon
- Other: Vagaro.com/Spacethesalon
