Take That Risk Sis-Interview with BLM Hair Studio Owner Lacey Lattisaw
Sticking it to the Stigma that “WoMeN oNlY BeLoNG iN tHE sALoN” Lady Barber and black business owner of BLM Hair Studio Lacey Lattisaw is shushing all of her doubters, “When anybody doubts me or women it really motivates me. It’s 2022 now. We should know that women can do anything men can do in any profession.
“I found out early that I had to be better than all of the other guys. Back then, there was a stigma that girls couldn’t cut guys’ hair. I wanted to go against the grain, and doing women’s hair wasn’t something I wanted to do. I wanted to be a barber, so I became one” (Sidenote: We gotta take a praise break on that quote…Say word sis!!!) “Cutting men’s hair was easier for me, and the switch to barbering just happened naturally. But I knew I had to be good because I’m a woman”, Lattisaw says.
Lacey’s story begins at JP McCaskey, where she started doing cosmetology her Junior year, spending half the day getting her hands on experience. During her Senior year, Lacey enrolled in the CTC program full time for cosmetology. “It was a very cool program McCaskey had, because as soon as you graduated you can get into your trade”, Lacey states. But, her journey wasn’t all bubblegum and gumdrops.At the young age of 20 years old, Lacey found herself pregnant with her daughter and facing the odds head on as she signed up for barber school. “I didn’t graduate as soon as I wanted to, but I finished in 2014”, Lacey says with a smile. “In my first shop I worked at, I was trying to manage working a 9 to 5 and then working under someone at the barbershop. On top of raise my daughter, it was a bit much but I always had this dream of having my own shop one day. My plan from the start was to get my own shop. It was difficult at first because I worked at a few shops (some good, some bad). And actually when I came into this studio originally it was a salon and I came here to be a barber.
Ya’ll….If you don’t pay attention to anything else in this article…This next section is how the level up happened…Take a look…
“How I got this salon was that I was able to buy out the owner and take ownership of the hair studio. What’s crazy is that buying her out wasn’t mine or hers original plan, but I saw an opportunity to make this into something and I took it. (She’s dropping gems ya’ll!!!!) “Working at other shops I was always paying attention to what the owner was doing. And I didn’t want this to be like those other shops. This is not your typical barbershop. My clientele has a lot of LGBTQ+, kids, and special needs, so I wanted to have a space that was comfortable and safe for others, but also draw out my creativity”, Lattisaw states.
Once Lacey bought the shop she was in go mode, and hasn’t stopped since day one. “Once I open my doors, its cutting non-stop and that’s how I like it” Lattisaw claims. But peep this folks…her haters couldn’t stop her, her doubters couldn’t affect her, and Covid didn’t shake her. “If you want me to be honest, I was happy and I was excited for the shutdown. I was like great I needed a break. Obviously there was alot of uncertainty, but I was cool with it at first”, Lacey proclaims. But, it wasn’t the pandemic, shutdown, or virus that caused a feeling of concern for Lacey and her new business located in downtown Lancaster at 131 N Water St, Lancaster. It was the protest that sparked all over the city after the murder (yea I said it)…The MURDER of George Floyd. “We shut down in March, and I reopened in May, but then the protests started and that was a crazy time because you know…B-L-M studio”. “I thought about somebody throwing something through my window often, but lucky enough it didn’t happen”, Lacey finishes.
We asked does BLM Hair Studio stand for Black Lives Matter Hair Studio, and Lacey said with a smile it stands for Barber Lives Matter and she goes by Lady Barber Lives Matter. “I think its dope that people come in here and think it stands for Black Lives Matter. Let’s keep it on the tongue and keep the conversation going. Also, a lot of white folks comment on it, and I think its funny”, Lacey says with a chuckle.
With one other Lady Barber currently employed at BLM Hair Studio, Lattisaw is looking to expand her studio by offering more Lady Barbers from around the country the opportunity to work in her shop, Her current barber is from New Mexico, and discovered Lacey on IG and eventually made the cross country move to work in her shop. “It would be revolutionary to have nothing but female barbers work in here. It would be dope for Lancaster. And being able to create opportunities for others should be one of the main goals for any black business”, Lacey professes. Making my own schedule, creating my own opportunity, and creating opportunity for other people is why I got into this. If I can make this happen, then what’s next…This is a stepping stone to something greater”, Lacey vocalizes.
And when we asked Lacey if she had any advice for the up and coming entrepreneur she said emphatically, “Take that risk sis! You have so much at your fingertips. Figure out what you gotta do and do it. I didn’t know how to run a business at first, but I googled literally everything and figured it out. Be focused, be dedicated, and be determined”, says Lattisaw.
We personally cannot wait to continue to see her glow up! Thanks for the motivation Queen!
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