We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ashley Falzone a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Ashley thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s talk about social media – do you manage your own or do you have someone or a company that handles it for you? Why did you make the choice you did?

I personally manage all of our social media as well as the actual A|F SALON website. I’ve never been a tech guru, however I felt no job is too big of you put your mind to it. I chose to do this myself because I wanted to create an organic view for the reputation of A|F SALON. When someone else handles all your media, I feel it looses the true personality.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am Ashley Falzone, owner of A|F SALON. I started my hair journey in 2010 at Paris II hair school. I had originally attended college for interior design and architecture on a full-ride academic scholarship, however I was not very happy going to school. Hair is my true passion. I have been obsessed with hair since a very young age. What initially sparked my interest in hair was the collection of Barbie heads that came out that were meant for styling and doing makeup on. After I got one of those I was practicing on every toy I had with hair. Growing up I would regularly do my friends and families hair with very minimal mistakes believe it or not! The thing that had sparked me to open my own Salon was the pandemic. Previously I had worked at a salon with many stylist and it was a constant toss up of stylis getting sick or clients getting sick. The ups and downs of all of the rescheduling and cancellations made being a hairstylist with a steady income nearly impossible. That’s when I realized that I had to do something different. This led me to search for my own space so I could eliminate most of the issues that came with the pandemic. I of course always aspired to have my own Salon, I just didn’t know that a global pandemic was going to be what sparked it! At the time I thought it may be a crazy idea to be opening a business when so many things were in question with the world. I figured how could it get worse? I also thought that it may be smart to open when so many were closing. I would have never been able to follow my dreams if I didn’t have my husband Jerry Deering behind me. Even while busy following his own dreams and going to law school he still found the time to be supportive of my dreams. Having your own Salon definitely is challenging in many ways but I thought it would be an easy transition considering I know the ins and outs of hair and working in a salon. I also had been working on my business marketing degree in the last few years. It was most challenging building my own website and getting all the correct licenses.
Since becoming established I have been able to put a focus on the areas of hair that I enjoy most. A|F SALON specializes in hair color, hair extensions, curly hair, and weddings. Our team has been able to grow to a 4 chair salon since opening. We also have an amazing makeup artist on our team! I truly have an amazing team here and am proud of every one of them. All the stylist at A|F SALON are highly trained in color and extensions so we can provide the best experience to our clients possible! We don’t pay for advertising because we believe that people should organically see how great our salon and team is. We are not your average salon for a good reason! Most salons are stressful, and clients feel confused or intimidated by the cliqiness of the staff. At A|F SALON we refuse to act that way. We provide a super chill and relaxing space, complete with friendly staff, and any beverage your heart desires. We are happy when clients are happy!
Our reputation is completely built on our reviews and community presence. We regularly host first friday events in the event space of our building to bring the community together and show that we love all things beautiful. We love art, we love music, we love hair, we love creating a completely chill atmosphere to hang. That is what A|F SALON is about! We pride ourselves in everything we do and we hope that’s what shines through.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I think the biggest asset to building my reputation in my industry has been being completely transparent, whether it be with my stylists or my clients. Honesty is always best!

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I will always be in the hair industry in some way, shape, or form. Standing behind the chair is always interesting because you get to know every person in your chair over time and hear their inner most thoughts and dreams. I love watching people grow. This love has recently led me to pursue a degree in psychology so I can continue to help and listen to others even when I can no longer stand. I am here for the people of our community however that may be.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.afsalonkc.com
• Instagram: @afsalonkc
• Facebook: Facebook.com/afsalonkc
• Linkedin: Ashley Falzone

Image Credits
Photo credits : Amber Macken