Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna Piskoulian.
Hi Anna, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I never really planned on getting into men’s hair, it was truly a career that found me. One day in my mid-twenties, completely frustrated and done with the career I had built for myself as a makeup artist for film and TV, I made the decision to walk away. Not really sure of what my future would look like and no definite plan, I jumped anyway. I thought to myself, if I went to school for hair, I could pair both hair and make-up and work weddings. Good money in that, right? Fast forward to my first three months of hair school, I was painted in regret as I realized I didn’t like doing women’s hair. It was too late at this point to back out, so I pushed myself to finish. I realized in hair school my passion for men’s grooming and short hair. I had an insatiable curiosity and truly enjoyed everything about it. I quickly became known in school for the student who would light up when doing fades and designs on anyone that would let me practice!
After cosmetology school, I immediately went to work at a big chain barbershop. I made peanuts at that job. But I needed lots of practice and to build a clientele. Once I felt ready, I left to start my own micro-business and rented a chair out of a salon. In this chapter, I learned how to run my very own little business. Skills like bookkeeping, customer retention, marketing, branding and being an overall jack-of-all-trades. Fast forward three years….boom….the pandemic arrived. I remember packing up my tools and shoving everything I owned into a duffle bag with absolutely no clue as to how I was going to earn a living for myself since I had my own business and wasn’t allowed to operate in the salon. Fight or flight kicked in and I took the show on the road. For a year, I did house calls all around Los Angeles. I was cutting hair in bathrooms, alleyways, backyards, kitchens, etc. It’s amazing how innovative your brain becomes when your back is pressed against the wall. After a year of traveling all around, I became tired of my setup. Something needed to change. I noticed that because of the pandemic, so many commercial properties were vacant and ready to be snatched up by someone with a vision and a decent amount of courage.
While other salons were shutting down, I was crazy dreaming up my own shop into existence. I found a space I was keeping my eye on for about three months. Every day, I would drive by, staring at the vacant sign. Finally, I call the landlord and check out the space…It was perfect. Not too small, not too big. Everything on paper was telling me it was a bad idea, but my gut was screaming at me that this was the next chapter. With the lockdown still in effect, I told no one and signed the lease. I didn’t want others’ opinions to cloud my intuition. If I failed, I wanted to die on my own sword. I called it NATIVE SPACE. A place where people could come and connect with their native selves. We have been open for almost two years and have served thousands of customers in West LA! It was one of the best decisions I have ever made. It’s amazing to look back and see how everything in your journey always adds up to make up the big story in the end.
If anyone is reading this and is considering chasing a dream, go ahead and jump, the universe will throw you a net.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Opening Native Space has been smooth with speed bumps. There is no amount of google research someone can do to prepare them to open a brick and mortar business in Los Angeles. Some struggles have been having to wear every hat all the time. Something I never planned for was learning to be a good leader for those who work at my shop. This took/takes practice constantly. Creating a healthy company culture is very important to me and just like caring for a plant, keeping good company culture must be nurtured daily so that it thrives.
A skill I had to quickly learn was staying calm in the midst of a crisis. I never had to master this skill prior, but now with folks depending on me, I needed to learn it and learn it quickly. If the captain of the ship panics, the whole ship goes down. It’s a practice! At least, that’s what I tell myself when I’m not perfect some days.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Native Space is a Men’s Grooming salon. We specialize in short hair and men’s hair. It’s a place with a neutral environment that isn’t too masculine or too feminine. A space for men to come and just be themselves.
When you walk in, you’ll be greeted by the smell of palo santo and some Tame Impala playing in the background. All stylists at Native Space offer their own unique vibe and excellence with their work. We are most proud of the energy we offer our patrons. It’s something you gotta experience to know!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.TheNativeSpace.com
- Instagram: @TheNativeSpace
