It is thrilling to write this blog on our one year anniversary. The past year has been filled with change, growth and new directions. We christened our new home – Crowned Studio and added some new faces to our family. Our new home in Old Pasadena has been an amazing journey from exploring our new surroundings to making new neighborhood friends to being named the Best Hair Salon in Pasadena. We have been overwhelmed with the amount of new guests and friends we have welcomed into Crowned Studio. Also we are happy to have been fortunate enough to be able to donate over $5,000 to local charities, schools and organizations. Giving back to our community is a cornerstone in Crowned Studio’s mission. We continue to try to off set our carbon footprint by recycling our foils, cans and plastics, as well as donating our hair to many different green avenues. Lastly our continued use of energy efficient washer, dryers, light fixtures and fridge. We look forward to the next year with new promotions, new faces and most of all, you!

From Christopher:
First of all, I would like to show my gratitude to Andrea for opening a brand new salon! Being in Old Pasadena has been a blast. So many lunch options and tons of new friends at Red White and Bluezz.  This year has really been exciting.  Aaron and I had an amazing trip too Italy, our puppy turned 1 year old and all things just keep getting better and better. To all my clients, I enjoy and appreciate each and every one of you. To my co-workers work family I look forward to many, many more years together. I know year two at Crowned Studio will only get better!

From Christina:
This year has been amazing! There has been a lot of exploring for me; from being a new Mom, to loving my new salon, Crowned Studio.  Massimo, my son,  has changed my life forever.  I have learned how to be a kid again and live in the moment.  Because of him I want to be a better person and become a better parent.  To switch gears, Crowned Studio has become my second home.  I have realized I am still in love with my career. My co-workers continue to inspire me to try new things. I want to thank my clients who continue to love and support me and Crowned. You have given me the pleasure of not just working at a job but keeping me enthusiastic about my career. This next year should be even more exciting. I hope to go on vacation, maybe add to my family, and continue to put my heart and soul into life both at home and at Crowned Studio.

From Connie:It’s 365 days later and I am so grateful for all I have; a home, my health (insurance) friends who would give me a kidney, loan me money and give me all the free advice I can handle! However, what I am really grateful for is doing in life what I love and nothing can beat that. Thanks to all of you!

From Aimee:
This year has been a year of change. I have gone from being a bubbly blonde to now being a vibrant redhead. My career has flourished and I have continually grown my business as the months went by. For the first time in my life I am living on my own and have found some peace and serenity in the quite of my own apartment. My family has grown exponentially this year. I have one sister currently pregnant with twins and another recently engaged and expanding her small family. Plus I have all my Crowned Studio family, the new friends I’ve acquired and the old ones that have just grown closer. I am looking forward to more wonderful changes in 2010.

From Nela:
This past year I’ve faced many challenges and seen many changes. Although I don’t consider this my best year, I am very grateful for the many new friends that have come into my life, my family for their never ending support and of course my second family here at the salon, who are always here for me. I look forward to bringing in the New Year as a stronger and wiser person.  I also look forward to the bigger and better things headed my way.

From Jose:
This year started with friends, family and a few NewYears’ resolutions that I am still challenged with keeping. I started at Crowned Studio and have been learning a lot from my co workers their knowledge is wide on every level. Not just in the field but in life. I found friends in them that want to help me to be a better person and a better stylist. The year hasn’t been so bad yhr good times that happen I enjoy and the bad times I smile at always going forward towards my dreams that I have every year. Being a better person and I am thankful for the opportunity of being here on earth with family and friends because every good action that you do you always get compensated.

We’re told that in times of economic uncertainty the service industries take the hardest hit. We see the pattern of increased time between each hair cut and/or color. More so there is a trend to forgo beauty services in order to buy new shoes or work attire.

Studies have shown that the way you look has a direct impact on how you feel, so it is only natural that we spend money on the things that we deem give us the look we want. The question becomes, what yields the value for your dollar? The answer is your hair.

If you have $150 to spend new shoes and you wore those shoes everyday of the week for six weeks then the cost per day would work out to approx $10.71. Now, let’s say you wear them every day except for weekends the price jumps to $15.51 per day.

If you take that same $150 and have your hair done over that same six week period it works out to be $3.57 a day that’s cheaper than a venti latte! Why? Because your hair is a round-the-clock accessory, it’s the only one that goes with every outfit and works for any occasion.

A few other ways we’d never cut corners¦

Airplane travel - Let the crew have time off to sleep. Two international flights in a day…no thanks!

Deodorant – Need we say more?

Plastic surgery – We’ve all seen what a budget face lift looks like!

Hair Plugs – If you can only afford 10…skip it.

Tattoo – It’s a permanent marking. Don’t haggle the guy or gal.

Shampoo and Conditioner – Cheap hair products often have the same detergents as dish soap and typically are not as concentrated as professional products. In the longer run, you can use less of a professional product and have your hair in better condition.