Since memory serves, hair stylist Jamie Nelson had dreams of opening her own salon, and last year seemed a good time to manifest that goal. After all, she’d developed a stellar reputation as a colorist and stylist at Boulder’s high end Twig Salon, where she’d worked for about seven years. She had clients hiring her to travel and do makeup and hair for weddings and other events. She also had a toddler and was pregnant with her second child, and figured that it was as good a time as any to take on another big project. But when the then 28-year-old Golden resident began researching the business operations, she made a troubling discovery: Roughly 80 percent of salons operate at a loss, and Denver’s commercial lease rates were well beyond what she could afford.
“I just didn’t see how opening a salon would ever be profitable unless you owned the space outright,” said Nelson.
Buying a commercial building wasn’t feasible or desirable. But rather than abandon her dream, Nelson began to spin her wheels — literally. Using life savings and a small loan from the Colorado Enterprise Fund, Nelson and her husband John purchased a 1977 Airstream Trailer from a young man in Casper, Wyo. (the buyer planned to turn it into a food truck but was forced to sell the trailer due to a family emergency). The Nelsons named the business Ember Hairstream and registered it with the Colorado Department of Regulation Agencies.
“I actually called the state on my way to buy the Airstream to make sure I could license a mobile salon in Colorado and they said, ‘Yes you will be the first and we predict many more,’” said Nelson.
The Airstream’s bones were good, but everything else needed to be repaired. Most of the carpentry and mechanical work was done by a professional friend in Steamboat, with Nelson and her family helping on weekends. Nelson’s father, an upholsterer, covered the original Airstream walls with recycled leather and refurbished the barber chair.
More than 250 hours of labor later, the trailer was ready for Nelson’s final touches. With the help of designer Megan Daughtry, Nelson created a space where “both men and women feel comfortable and relaxed.” Today the trailer’s interior could be described as a blend of mid-century modern, simple luxury and Colorado rustic, with barn wood walls, a vintage barber chair and a relaxing spa-like shampoo bowl.
“It’s a completely different world inside,” said Lindsey Hernandez, who hosted a “ladies night in” party this spring. Nelson brought the Ember Hairstream to Hernandez’s home in Golden where she and her friends got pampered inside while their families grilled dinner outside. “I would absolutely do it again.”
So far, the biggest challenge is explaining to customers that the Hairstream will come directly to them and that the fees are not astronomical. Nelson said Hairstream prices are comparable to other salons. She requires a minimum charge of $300, which can be applied to services and retail, and imposes an additional fee for traveling outside the Denver/Boulder area.
Since launching the business in late spring, Nelson’s taken the Ember Hairstream to Denver’s TheBigWonderful, a marketplace that aims to connect art, music, fashion and food, where customers got their hair styled, learned about extensions, dabbled in make-up and more. She’s also had clients hire Ember Hairstream for kid birthday parties and for a tea party brunch in advance of a theater outing to “Phantom of the Opera.”
“This is way above and beyond what we normally do, but it’s worth the splurge because she comes to you and you don’t need to do anything,” said Tracey Sandoval, host of the pre-show brunch. In addition to bonding over beauty, which women have done for millennia, they emerged looking more glamorous than they would through their own efforts. “With Jamie, the transformation [with her hair and makeup] is amazing. She’s incredibly good.”
Greta Hoetzer hired Nelson and the Hairstream this spring to host a birthday party for her 6-year-old daughter in Boulder. Ten girls arrived for a feast of braiding, hair styling, extensions and games. Not only did Nelson decorate the Hairstream with Hoetzer’s daughter’s favorite colors, she provided kimonos for all the girls to wear and gift bags with pretty hair ties.
“The salon is fascinating, and Jamie is very sweet with the girls,” said Hoetzer. “It went so well that I’m planning on having a similar party — but for me and my friends.”
Nelson emphasized that stylists like her have long traveled for special events or to clients who couldn’t make it into the salon for one reason or another. But typically, that meant doing hair and make-up in tiny hotel rooms or small prepping rooms at wedding venues. With the Hairstream she can provide professional quality amenities along with her expertise.
“Maybe a client has small children or a new baby, or they work late or making an appointment at the salon during the day doesn’t fit into their schedule,” Nelson said. “Instead of doing their hair in the kitchen, I created a space that is beautiful, comfortable and convenient.”
In other words: Move over food trucks, Ember Hairstream is coming down the road.
Ember Hairstream
www.emberhairstream.com. Call 303-209-1011, or e-mail: beautyinmotion@emberhairstream.com.
