Salon of the Month: Abstra(kt) Studio
Abstra(kt) Studio is a salon located in one of the fastest growing cities in the nation, Frisco Texas. We consider ourselves the best of the best, not just in Frisco, or the state of Texas, but the country. Several of our team members are national educators, and we believe to our core, that we have a mission in this industry: To create a culture of education, a sense of community that extends beyond our four walls, and a place of work that respects and promotes art in all forms.
We have a few guideposts in how we conduct ourselves as a team, and as a business:
Education: If we are known for nothing else, this is what we hang our hat on. We believe in the power of education. In our first four months in business, we sponsored our team in numerous formal learning experiences. That doesnât include the day-to-day learning that happens. We look at our junior team members as our greatest potential, and invest in them heavily (and secretly wish that we had the career beginnings they are getting). We open our doors regularly to our peers across the industry and share information openly.
Community: We are a big believer in fostering relationships in our community, and define community in several different ways.  We closely identifyâeven though most of us come from somewhere elseâwith the north Dallas community base. We love them, for their willingness to be trend-setters, invest in looking their best, and their loyal commitment. We donât stop in defining community as just our north Dallas marketplace. Our community extends to the stylist community beyond our local area. Whether they interact with us on social media (weâre some big followers ourselves) or we participate in or lead a class with them in attendance, we love these professional, creative, individuals and are believers in supporting vs. undercutting⊠frankly, thereâs more than enough to go around and we want to be demonstrated leaders in being supportive and respectful of each other.
Art: Each of us are artists at heart. Â We donât just âdo hairâ, but rather, we create works of art, otherwise known as our awesome clientele. We like going one step further and as such are a working art gallery supporting our local artist community here in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. We rotate the art on our walls periodically, to promote each artist. Â All art is for sale, and we love the fresh look this gives our space and the inspiration our team gets from the beauty around them.
Music: We. Love. Music. It started when salon owner Katie Tellor went to her first NKOTB concert when she was 8. We get high praise for our secret playlists and consider our sound to be an extension of our brand.
Originality, always: We love being different. We love surprising. We love breaking new ground. Weâre not the biggest, and havenât been around the longest, but hereâs what we do have. Originals. We celebrate each of the original works of artânot the ones on our walls, although those are pretty spectacularâbut, the people behind the chairs. Youâll notice it in our online presenceâŠcheck out how we talk about them on our bios page at abstrakt.studio.com/bios and youâll notice, weâre not your run of the mill joint.  And weâre more than ok with that.
What inspired you to work in this business?
There are so many reasons why at an early age I wanted to make this a career. Â I could see the business potential, and knew a couple of things about myself that would make it lucrative for me. First, my work ethic. I knew that if I could leverage that and create my own destiny I would be successful. And, now, with social media, that potential is truly unlimited. Second, from the first time I stepped into the Aveda Institute where I went to school, I knew that was it. Iâve seen what a good education can do it has inspired me to keep learning, every day, and support others in their educational process as well.
I was trained and educated at the Aveda Institute in Minneapolis, so I have a special place in my heart and my professional beliefs tied to Horst Rechelbacher. When he started Intelligent Nutrients he applied everything he learned in the creation of Aveda and combined it with his vision for how we treat our planet. Â This is something that is really important to me and Iâm proud to showcase this product line in the salon. Several of the Abstraktors are also Aveda-trained, and this product line was one of the key reasons why they joined our squad. Intelligent Nutrients has a strong presence in the northern part of the country, and Iâm excited to bring the product line to Frisco. Â
What is your favorite memory of working in a salon?
âIn my 10+ years of salon experience, my favorite moments land in the first week Abstra(kt) Studio was open! I never could have imagined how quickly we would gel (no pun intended) as a hair family. The trouble-shooting, starting everything fresh and new, the, âWhereâs the _____?â moments. I truly feel grateful to be a part of such a talented group of people!â â Emily A.
What is your most hilarious/embarrassing hair moment?
âMy most embarrassing moment came teaching a two-day class at the Aveda Institute on perming. All the students thrilled because I was teaching a few alternative wrap methods, and they couldnât wait to get to the hands-on portion. With my sister as my model, (Aveda had just come out with a perm that you can use under heat) I wrapped her beautiful red hair, put on the perm solution and placed her under the dryer. After 5 minutes under the heat, the big reveal. Voila! Â Bright yellow hair. I panicked and quickly rinsed the perm solution out of her hair, only to find that with the over-processing her hair was breaking off on the perm rods. The end result was a very short cut. My embarrassment turned into a great teaching moment. Always do a proper consultation; especially if it might be the last perm you ever do!â â Holly W.
What is your favorite hairstyle to create and what IN products do you use in creating it?
âI love creating loose beach waves, starting with a leave-in Conditioner. It gives me just enough slip in my blowouts to help create the curl I desire. After I finish curling the hair, I love to add in the Matte Texture Paste to give it a lot of texture and an effortless look.â â Cerah C.
What is your favorite IN product and why?
âI LOVE the Volumizing Spray! It gives just enough hold and lots of volume and works so well with round brush work. It is so versatileâperfect for my clients with fine hair because it doesnât add any weight, and works just as well for dense hair because you still get lots of liftâI can use it on all of my clients.â â Kathy M.
âItâs too hard to pick just one! Iâm really liking the Styling Gel for blowouts. It gives just enough texture for fine hair to create a lot of volume, and helps control frizz. In a climate where we can go from humid to dry from day to day this is a plus. Iâm also very impressed with the Hair & Scalp Treatment Remedy. Iâve used it on several clients and it gives immediate relief to dry, itchy scalpâperfect for the winter months!â â Betty C.
âI love the Matte Texture Paste. Itâs great for every guy, which says so muchâproducts have a different meaning for themâthey are so particular! I also love the Destress Express line. I was so excited to join a salon with Intelligent Nutrients as its product line as Iâm a big fan of plant-based products. I use it to start off my haircuts. The smell relaxes every client!â â Erin S.
âI have my own special combos Iâve created to come up with the perfect blowout scenario. Youâve heard the expression, âDonât mess with Texas?â That may have come from a woman getting her hair done in Dallas. I love the Styling Gel, but hereâs my tip: I mix it with the Shine Spray for fine hair, and the Straight Hair Serum for thinker hair.â â Angie S.
Abstra(kt) Studio
6950 Lebanon Rd., Suite 101, Frisco TX 75034
(972) 704-3421
http://www.abstrakt.studio/
