We were lucky to catch up with Chasity Davenport recently and have shared our conversation below.

Chasity, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

Opening a salon was never part of my game plan. I loved being a stylist because it offered a creative outlet, a way to connect with the community and flexibility to be a mother and partner/wife. It became a sideline event because a corporate job seemed like the “right” path, the big girl job I needed. The reality is that we can paint a picture of what our life should look like and that’s not at all what life has in store for us.

I was tired of crying in hotel rooms while traveling on a regular basis because I was missing out on my growing kids lives. I felt purpose in my job, I loved what I did and more importantly the people I worked with and came to love but there was a hole in my heart.

I jumped into doing hair part time, I started working part time at a super chic, local salon and was able to build a weekend clientele quickly. I was able to save a lot of money to support some goals we had for our family and it was a huge blessing. It took me years of second guessing myself before I finally made a list of pros and cons to determine the fate of my career path.

One day I had this realization that I should take the leap and the net would appear. I was terrified but inquired with a nearby salon for a full time space and boom; two weeks later my life had completely changed. The pandemic came 4 months later and it made me realize the whole goal was to be closer to my children and I wanted to work where I lived. That was when I decided to rent a suite and branch out on my own. The suite life was lonely, I missed the interaction of a salon but something told me to start looking at spaces nearby, I didn’t search long before I found our space and we were undergoing reno just a couple months post transition into my suite.

My corporate background in business operations led me to create a more structured business for local stylists to be supported, grow and feel inspired. We have so many friends to thank for helping us make the space everything we dreamed of.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

For most hairstylists, we have been cutting hair since the crayola days (quite literally) so for most of us, it’s in our DNA. I always enjoyed showing people how to work with their potential, for some, they just don’t know how to tap into that and it just takes a little guidance.

My clients quickly started feeling like family, catching up on each others lives and finding common ground made work feel like such a happy, comfortable place.

I had a huge focus on extensions from a young age because of the instant gratification that comes with it, you can really change a persons confidence instantly with a good install. That was so rewarding for me so while I love doing color, this became a niche also.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

Wildflower is a relatively large facility now. We have had our share of bumps in the road and unpleasant experiences but I’m so proud of the team we’ve built. These ladies keep each other motivated, supported, loved on during more difficult times and celebrated during the monumental ones. None of us are perfect but we are human and the openness to communicate and have adult conversations sets us apart from the mass majority because at the end of the day, we care for each other.

There will always be bad days, there will be days where everything is breaking and the sky is falling but we persevere. The willingness to show each other love and kindness blows me away on a regular basis and when we drift, we always make an effort to find our happy place again.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thewildflowercollectivecov.com
• Instagram: The_wildfllowercollective

Image Credits
Jessie Bone Photography