Today we’d like to introduce you to Christina Crook.
Hi Christina, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started my first hair business at 14 years old sewing in extensions for my friend’s moms for $100. It took me 4 hours and made my fingers so sore. Right after high school, I got into cosmetology school, started at my first salon the day after getting my license and passing state board. After 2 1/2 years, I opened my own studio, after 2 1/2 years in that, I opened my first salon. Two months after opening my salon, I was hit by a car on a moped while on vacation in Hawaii and my life changed forever. After intense physical therapy and surgeries, I worked while in a wheelchair and then was able to finally return to work walking and full time just recently, yet my salons first year being open somehow didn’t fail! Additionally, I spent most of covid separated by continents from my partner (Ireland-California) and alone to go through all of this. But he has finally moved here and after three years of long-distance we are getting married this year in December and he has become an amazing co-owner of our salon! He is a photographer/videographer/ marketing master by trade and has brought so many tricks to the table. We are only going up from here.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Oh, hell no! I lived on my friend’s couch and out of my Mazda Miata in beauty school. I waited tables at chili’s after school and came home exhausted from a 15 hour day and smelling like old fajitas. My first salon experience was extremely traumatic and almost made me quit hair. But once I got through that, I thrived on my own. The big car accident in Hawaii set me back physically, but I’ve gotten too far to give up. I’ll have my limitations forever now but will continue to run the salon as I planned. I’m so glad I never quit but I had to be talked out of it more than a couple of times!
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I struggled to find a salon culture that wasn’t catty, didn’t consist of the telephone game of people’s lives, was mental health informed, not racist, not transphobic, and welcoming. I realized I think I was expecting some fantasy salon and I probably was gonna have to create it myself. I never wanted to be a salon owner but my passion for hair and ability to thrive in a healthy environment forced me to become a salon owner. Amongst clients and hairdressers, I am known for color melting. A softer, shiny, easy on the eyes approach to hair color. It reflects light creating intense shine, grows out phenomenally, and leaves the hair feeling strong and healthy. I’ve also made it a point to be known for my voice in the mental health world, I’ve always struggled with my own inner voice and in my business-owning career, have never been afraid to voice my opinions of right vs wrong and validate and recognize mental health challenges. I am most proud of the salon that Crook + Co has become. The feedback we received is exactly why I decided to take on the salon owner role. A warm, loving, welcoming, and gentle environment where you can be whoever you want to be with open arms and never feel like you have to pretend. If that doesn’t attract all of our clientele, then the hair we produce does. We have a waitlist that’s always full and a wait time of at least four weeks, usually around 12 weeks; but What matters to me the most is not how full our books are but how people feel leaving our salon, Whether that’s through a new set of micro bladed eyebrows or a completely transformed hair color, we are here to make them feel confident empowered and beautiful.
How do you think about luck?
I would say BAD luck has played a huge role in my life, positively! If I hadn’t had such a bad experience at my first salon, I would probably have ignored the culture and continued to work under another owner, I would have never been so angry and EMPOWERED to create my own culture. I would never wish it different because what we have now is unbelievable, not even getting body slammed by a Toyota Corolla can hold me back from it.
Pricing:
- Colormelting with haircut $275+
- Microblading $395+
- Haircut $55+
- Highlighting $150+
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.crookand.co
- Instagram: /tina_doeshair
