Today we’d like to introduce you to S. Franky Halloran.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I moved to Chicago in 2006 having just graduated from Temple University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in ceramics and blown glass. I had no idea what my next move was. I was really scared and drowning in student loan debt.
After cruising craigslist for jobs, I came across a listing for a fancy-schmancy downtown hair salon looking for an assistant. I sent my resume over and thought to myself (selfishly), “That’d be super rad, at least I would always have cool hair!” About a week later, I went in for an interview… and totally nailed it.
“You are the girl I’ve been looking for! I just need a copy of your cosmetology license.”
I was so embarrassed. I had no idea how the hair industry worked. I didn’t have a license and I felt awful having just wasted this poor human’s time. As we chuckled about it together, he grabbed a piece of paper and wrote down a list of beauty schools.
“Seriously… just go to beauty school. I really think you would be an amazing fit in the industry. You’re fun, you’re easy to talk to, and your laugh is infectious.” he told me, “Give me a call when you’re done.”
A year and a half later, after graduating from Pivot Point, I was devastated when I learned the salon didn’t have any open positions. I went to ten hair salons in one day dropping off my resume and asking if anyone would take me on as an assistant for an apprentice program. I even had one saucy human rip my resume in half before my eyes, tossing it to the ground in front of me whilst lecturing about how they only hire stylists with ten or more years of experience.
I was terrified that maybe this was all a huge mistake. Maybe I didn’t fit in this industry. Maybe I just wasted all of this time and money for nothing.
I had one more stop on my list… and in May of this year, I celebrated my tenth anniversary at Solo Salon. I found my home and it has been an incredible ride.
The salon I originally interviewed at in 2006 was Marianne Strokirk on Chestnut Street. That location is now closed, I have no idea the name of the human I interviewed with, but I hope I can find him one day and get the chance to hug him and tell him that he changed my life.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Smooth road? I don’t know what that is, but it sounds boring (I kid. I kid.) I wouldn’t have nearly the collection of hysterical stories I’ve gathered in my lifetime if it had been a smooth road. The best parts of traveling are all of the wacky things that happen while you are trying to get there.
Looking back and being able to say, “Holy sh*t, that was really hard… wow, I cried a lot in that back closet… where did my left shoe go… but somehow I ended up over here in this really cool place!” really is a magical thing.
I struggled the most with shutting the ‘eff up and listening early in my career. I partially blame my get things done/Capricorn/middle child tendencies for this, but I digress. Learning how to thank someone, even when they’re giving you some gut-punching feedback, even when you don’t agree with a single word they are saying – is a difficult but transformative gift to learn.
The biggest pieces of advice I would give any young human at the beginning of their journey is to listen. Put your phone down, and listen. Take it all in. Hear all the things everyone has to say. Especially if you don’t agree. And then, when you’ve got a backpack full of the good stuff – you get to pick all of the best tools to use. (Is that cheesy?? I feel like sixteen year old me would tell thirty-four year old me to get bent.)
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Solo Salon – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I am my best self when I’m problem-solving.
Putting a smile on someone’s face who didn’t think that they could have mustered one today; all day hair color corrections; transformative hair color or haircut overhauls; or helping a coworker or friend learn how to build their credit score and utilize a debt snowball – these are the things that give me life.
I am the proudest when someone I have helped mentor, comes back to me years later to tell me how much they have grown. I am more than, “just a hair stylist.”
Who have you been inspired by?
Top Five Female Fan Club: Rose Halloran, Louise Bourgeois, Kristine Singer, KC Van De Merkt, Skye Bierton.
Rose: for feeding my creative soul literally from birth.
Louise: for showing me that women can be loud.
Kristine: for her patience and forward thinking.
KC: for always hearing me for what I’m saying, but not how I’m saying it.
Skye: for teaching me the value of touch.
Pricing:
- Haircuts $45 – $77 | fades, clipper cuts, shear over comb, razor cutting, curly hair, straight hair, long hair, short hair, any hair
- Color Correction $95 (per hour) | anything from fixing hair color gone wrong to fantasy colors – I want to bleach your hair
- Balayage $162 – $250 | customizable painted highlights
Contact Info:
- Address: 1065 W Madison Street
- Website: www.solo-salon.com
- Phone: 312-491-9771
- Email: franky@solo-salon.com
- Instagram: @hair_by_franky
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
