Hidden Gems: Meet Christelle J. Medard of The Miracle Touch

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christelle J. Medard.

Hi Christelle J., so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I am a hairstylist, entrepreneur, CEO and owner of The Miracle Touch. I’m from Queens, NY. My love for hair started at the age of 10. Growing up in my family we had a lot of women doing each other’s hair and I’d just mimic everything they were doing on my dolls. I began doing hair in my parent’s living room. Friends and family would allow me to style their hair which gave me a natural practice to achieve more to come in hairstyling. From then, I transformed a hobby into a career as a salon assistant. With the guide of my mentor at the salon & my cosmetology teacher, I’ve perfected and learned so many new hair techniques that has allowed me to excel into the stylist I am today. Not only did they encourage me, but their lessons gave me the confidence to relocate from NY to CA and open my own business.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Nothing about entrepreneurship is smooth and doing it alone is ten times harder. Still to this day when I have my slow seasons I wonder if it’s all worth it then I remember how far I’ve come. So I can’t give up. Little Christelle is rooting for me. Some storms are easier to battle than others. But you gotta take it one day at a time. One of my favorite quotes is “anything worth having comes from being uncomfortable”. Boy have I been uncomfortable, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m down for the ride, the sleepless nights, the tears and the anxiety. My favorite part is applauding myself after I surpassed a goal that I was stressed about. That’s me reaffirming myself that I’m not doing so bad after all.

Some struggles were funding, marketing, and clientele. It’s like you want to have all the proper esthetics for your business and inventory of supplies or even new supplies but the funding isn’t all the way there. Then you’re afraid of putting money into in & it fails. The right marketing will always attract people but you can’t afford to hire people for that yet so you gotta do it yourself in hopes it comes out half as good as you visioned. So that comes back to funding. Having the clientele is also the root of funding. Moving to a whole new state and starting over is extremely hard and now I have to find people to trust me enough to work on their hair. It’s also you trusting them as well because not everyone belongs in your chair. My mentor once told me not all money is good money. The more I’m in business, the more I learn that. I’ve had to ban clients. Either their energy was off or they tried to scam me. It’s hard enough holding a business on my back by myself but now you’re trying to put me out before I even evolve because you think you deserve a free hairstyle. So I always appreciate my loyal clients. They keep me sane through it all.

As you know, we’re big fans of The Miracle Touch. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
I specialize in natural hair care and hair extensions. What sets me apart from others is the memories made. My shop is not your typical salon. It’s more than a service, it’s an experience. It’s your home away from home, where you can decompress. We’ll chat, laugh, sing, have a therapy session & maybe even shed a tear together in the midst of receiving your healthy hair care. I want more people to invest time back into themselves through self-care & The Miracle Touch is here to assist them. We work hard and stress even harder but it’s time we give ourselves some grace and have some me time because we all deserve it. I’m proud of it trusting me. Trusting in me to move across the country and starting over from scratch. Trusting in me to provide a safe haven to people in my community. Trusting in me to surpass all that I had envisioned for my brand.

I’ve had many moments where I could’ve quit but I refuse to do that because I have more to give. I built this small business from the ground up by myself no funding assistance no nothing. I’ve always been in survival mode and so has my business and that’s why I can’t stop and I won’t stop. All I got was words of encouragement and I took that and ran with it. The Miracle Touch is not for me; it’s for the community. There is so much more I want to give to my community through The Miracle Touch and I see it coming. A little girl had a big picture of owning her own salon but didn’t know how’d she get there. With perseverance and ambition, I’ll be sure to leave a legacy and empire to inspire others.

What are your plans for the future?
The future of my business is full expansion. Products, location, staff & community. My goal is to one day open up a full-service salon and spa catering to all. I want every person to feel like they’re on a one-day vacation with each visit.

Pricing:

• Silk press $125
• Sew in $350
• Essential Silk press package $150
• Sew in package $700
• Miracle Growth Hair Oil $30

Contact Info:

• Website: https://themiracletouch.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/the.miracletouch?igshid=Mzc1MmZhNjY=
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/THEMIRACLETOUCH
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@ChristelleJM
• Yelp: https://m.yelp.com/biz/the-miracle-touch-glendale 

Image Credits
Far From Coy Photography