Michael Ferrell

Beach Blonde Salon

770 First Ave., Seaside

Michael Ferrell, a popular hair artist and colorist who owns Beach Blonde Salon in Seaside, said he operates his business on an appointment basis. He can take appointments from early in the morning to late at night. He also owns Salon Zen-Do in Portland, and splits his time between the two cities based on how many appointments he has in either. For more information about Beach Blonde Salon, visit www.beachblondesalon.com, or call (503) 717-5255 to make an appointment.

What do you do?

I am a hair stylist/salon owner. Its hard to decide which part of that takes up more time as a salon owner, basically making people pretty. With the baby boomers, its a fabulous thing since all the girls are having silver in their hair, which means they need me desperately. I take care of that and help them feel better about themselves. Mostly what I do is making people feel pretty.

How did you get started doing this?

I started doing hair immediately out of high school. I wandered into a beauty school. Our family was of moderate means, college was not something that Mom and Dad were offering. So I just started and fell into this thing where I was kind of an anomaly in beauty school. They would come in and peer around the corner to this little freakazoid who could do everything right away. I could do pin curls; I could do finger waves I could do all of this, and they were just freaked.

What is the volume of your business?

The volume of my business is it varies through my needs. I book by appointments, so I dont have walk-ins. Its important I have an idea of what next week will look like. The exact volume of my business is exactly right every day, and its completely variable. Theres always enough; thats my motto with my business.

How does the economy affect your business?

The economy has deeply affected the hairdressing industry. Women wait a lot longer between appointments, and they actually decide to not have hair color. It definitely was shocking, and many of my colleagues and friends went under. Because hairdressing could perhaps be thought of as a perk or a fluffy thing. As far as a professional, that woman cannot especially the job hunter cannot let that go, because theyre competing against a lot of people, and to have good color and cuts becomes part of a very serious aspect of their job search.

 

Edward Stratton