I’ve got to take a moment to give a fond farewell to the salon that I birthed with Nikki and raised with Mel. Mayapple Salon and Boutique started in a little jewel of a cave in a quonset hut on the bike trail in downtown Fayetteville, A. By day, it was a fantastic hair factory. By night, we hosted many bands, including Brent Amaker and the Rodeo (a memorable night) and pissed off the neighbors. Mayapple now bustles in a modern warehouse, with a huge open floor plan, an esthetics room, a BATHROOM, a huge boutique full of one of a kind vintage and handmade swag, 5 hair stations, an office, an amazing Mad Men counch, a hallway even.
Here is a little collage of my favorite parts of the shop……The fabulous vintage feel, the bright colors, the funky one of a kind accent pieces, the concrete floor with stencils, Nikki Jacoby jewelry designs, the cute photos of Mel’s lovely clone-daughter Cloey, and Bonnie from Flashes of Style blog, a Mayapple client. The old anatomical chart found in a dumpster at an abandoned school, VIntage swimming suits and caps and adorable shoes, Melissa Arens and the Mayapple crew. I love this place.
I am sad to leave this wonderful place that has been a vibrant source of community, friendship, partnership, creativity, and income for me practically since I moved to town 6 years ago. I have to thank my business partner Melissa Arens for driving our business to the next level while I nursed a baby and tried to manage my life as a part time pioneer hair-driven blogging family-woman.
I am en route as we speak in a move across the country with my family, back to my hometown of Seattle. Possibilities abound, and the future is an exciting unknown. I hope to take this blog to the next level ( Learn to use a real camera;) and collaborate creatively with friends who inspire me to no end. Holls? T? Nikki? let’s make some cool shit. I hope to take my Jonny and my girls to some amazing places.
I hope to eat some amazing food. And ride my bike. And go on kid free dates. And hike. And SNOWBOARD for gods sake. And yes, I hope to do some really fun hair.
Will I go back to Vain? Will I open Mayapple Seattle, will I start HTHG studios, an exclusive no-poo salon and photo studio and office to churn out great HTHG DIY hair content? Will I bar tend part time? Will I be a crum bum? Will I make my kids go to circus school? Will my toddler always be such a cute tyrant? Will Jonny be a professional Craigslist hustler, or a famous artist, or a mountain man in the city who teaches people how to split wood and build sustainable mountain homes? Will my oldest daughter always be mad at me for making her leave her hometown? Will my parents drive me mad?
These are all questions that will be answered with time. In the meantime, I want to honor and pay respect to a part of my life that shaped me as a human, as a woman, as a mother, as a partner, as a friend, as a hairdresser, and as a small part of something larger. I love you, Mayapple Salon and Boutique and crew, and I will miss you dearly. I will do my very best to bring you new hair tricks when I come back for visits;). XOXO
