About Us

Women everywhere are still trying to figure out “how to have it all.” I’m no different. Here was my dilemma: How could I feed my desire to own my own business, maintain a work/life balance, be a present and available mother and wife and continue to work on my passion as a hairdresser?

I’ve always been a girl who knows what she wants and goes for it. It’s almost to a fault because I don’t stop to think before I jump. Graduating from beauty school, I knew I wanted to work at a salon on Pearl Street. That is where I envisioned myself and a few short years later, that is where I ended up. I was blessed to work for three of the most amazing mentors around. They were all stylists, they were all women and they were all just who I wanted to be in the industry. The salon culture was based around leadership and life-happiness. Instead of having product reps come into the salon to teach us how to sell more product, they had leadership coaches come in to teach us how to be happier. This created a better work environment – and what I noticed – higher sales and a more team-based environment (which you don’t always see in salons). I quickly saw what was happening and I jumped all over it. I invested my own time and money to work individually with the leadership coach. At the time, I thought I was simply preparing myself to be a manager one day. Little did I know, this self-development would put me on the path that led me to do other great things in my life.

Being a stylist in commission-based salons led me to want to do something different. I had maxed out at my dream salon, and I had added being an educator for an international production company to my plate. Yet I still found myself getting bored. I needed the next step. It was time to open my own salon. The first rule in business is to be able to give people what they want. You have to fix a problem for them. I wanted to fix the problem for hairdressers. Hairdressers are constantly leaving salons and starting over. Why? They get bored, there is no more potential to grow, they decide hairdressing is not a career or they lose their passion for hairdressing because they burn out. I wanted to do something different. So, I asked myself, what could be done that hasn’t been done before and give experienced hairdressers a chance to feel enlightened again? Instead of an answer, I got a question: “What do I like best about hairdressing?” The answer is: “People”: The connection I feel with others. The power of touching their hair and becoming a part of each other’s lives. The ability to mentor other stylists and help them see things in themselves that they are afraid to see. But let’s not forget the one thing that also keeps people going: the money. This led to other questions: How can I use my skills as a hairdresser to connect with my clients on a deeper level? How can I use my leadership to mentor other like-minded stylists? How can I make hairdressing a career, instead of a job, for so many who have a passion for it? So, I created a mobile hair salon to bring something different to the beauty industry and as a way to train and mentor other stylists and honor their creativity.

The Ember Hairstream, who we call "The Silver Beauty Queen", underwent a full renovation in May of 2016. If you are an Airstream lover or enjoy renovation stories or how-to's, this article is for you.

When you step into the Airstream, you've entered a unique world. The Airstream is large enough to accommodate 3 people getting services at once, a full wash station, a bathroom and a kitchen! Let me tell you a little big about how it all started.

 
With the help of my friends, my husband and my father, we made the "Silver Beauty Queen" come to life. I believe all things happen for a reason,  and that to achieve your dreams and your desires, you must listen to that little voice inside your head, telling you "go for it!" When I started to listen, my dream happened quickly! 
It all started as a small idea that I would dream about, literally dream about while sleeping. I started to journal when I woke up so I would remember my ideas. I took a few business classes and put together a business plan. One morning, something told me to look on Craigslist. I instantly found a 1977 32' Airstream in Casper, WY. For some reason, I didn't work that weekend and was able to take off right away to see the Airstream. The price was 1/2 of my budget and was already gutted! I couldn't believe it. I headed home (4 hour drive there, 4 hours home), took money out of savings and headed back the next day with my brother-in-law, who gave it a look over and drive it back with his truck. 
At this time, I knew nothing about Airstreams, trailers or trucks! I didn't even have a truck. All I had now was a dream and an empty Airstream. As the weeks went on, I started putting more pieces of the puzzle together. My friend's husband who lives in Oak Creek, CO oversaw the renovation. He knew a lot about building, mechanics and trailers. We went up on the weekends to help. This had two benefits; it saved us money and it allowed me to work hands on as well. 
One of the many perks about the salon industry, is all the people I meet! One of my dearest clients, who I have known since almost the start of my career, designed the inside of the Airstream and construction lay-out. She already knew me so well, knew my style, knew my budget and of course she really cherished my dream. Working with her built a lasting friendship! She is now one of the top designers in Colorado and I couldn't be more blessed to have her help my dream come true.

My father, who does amazing upholstery work in Denver Colorado, refinished all the walls, chairs and benches in the Airstream. We used over 50 yards of fabric and he put in hundreds of hours!! His work is truly a labor of LOVE. I am so lucky and he is beyond talented. The upholstery work gets so many compliments in the Airstream. 

One of the hardest things to work with on Airstreams are the inside end-caps. When I bought this Airstream, I didn't know that and I also didn't realize this Airstream was missing one side of all the end caps. Since the Airstream is vintage, there really isn't a way to replace these items. At this point in the project, we were completely stumped. We really didn't know how to fix that area. I woke up one morning with a friend's name heavy on my mind. Something told me to "call Tyler". And that I did! I had no idea if he even knew anything about Airstreams but I reached out to him. To my surprise, he was totally on board! Within days, he completed the research and was on his way over to create the most beautiful custom end-cap design above the barber chair.

In a matter of months, we learned how to renovate, hitch a trailer, drive a trailer, park a trailer, operate generators, clean water, dirty water, propane, etc. Did I mention we did all of this while I was pregnant? That sure sped up the time we had to complete the project.