Vain Salon

Vain Salon is cloaked in red and black, a small window giving you a glimpse into the life behind the doors. But don't be fooled, the impressive salon has nothing to hide. In fact, it's quite the opposite. One of the locations sits in the heart of Belltown, where it pulsates with an ever-revolving door of people who come from all parts of Seattle.

The hair salon was born out of a belief that self expression is something to be treasured and supported. Victoria Thomas Gentry, a transplant from New York, was instantly enveloped by the spirit of Seattle, but she also saw the opportunity to shake things up. She began her love story with an idea and determination. She felt every person should be given the opportunity to use their body, well in this case their hair, as a canvas to express to others who they are. This idea alone pushed her to open up a hole-in-the-wall beauty supply boutique. She developed her own line of hair products titled Vain, consisting of Dirty Boy, Dirty Girl Hair Goo and 2nd Day Hair shampoo. This facilitated the idea that mainstream was not the only way. She got the word out by standing on a box outside her boutique, by handing out fliers and inviting people in. Slowly but surely she began to build a client base.

Then word got out. Not only did Victoria sell beauty supplies, she also created new looks with her two hands. In other words, she was also a hairstylist. Even though she had continued to cut hair while working at establishing her store, it wasn't her focus. During this time, Seattle was finding itself at the tail end of the grunge trend and desperately looking for the newest look. She brought some ideas from New York with her and word-of-mouth made her phone start ringing off the hook.

It all began with one chair. Her beauty supply boutique was thriving, but so was the hair styling aspect. Demand made her quickly outgrow her tiny boutique, so she acquired a bigger building, taking her one-chair salon to 10. Hearing Victoria explain it makes it seem as if the whole experience was a whirlwind she still can't figure out. She couldn't man the chairs herself, so she began to pull in some talent that held not only the same professionalism she did, but who also held the same passion.

"We don't have a certain salon style that we call the Vain look," Victoria said. How can you pin self-expression to a specific look? That's what she looks for in her fellow stylists; a person who knows what it means to be entrusted with someone's image. The most important part of the client-hairstylist relationship is listening. At Vain, they work together as a family to help each other strive and provide the best service. A hairstylist aspiring to work at Vain will go through an interview process to find out if their love of hair is truly a passion and how well they will work within the company. It doesn't stop there. Victoria built the idea of the buddy system that pairs a senior stylist and a newbie together to help build camaraderie.

The idea of community is not something that stops at Vain's doorstep. In fact, Victoria has worked hard to make sure Seattle can call Vain a home away from home. This is perfectly illustrated as soon as you walk in the front door. The first steps before you reach the reception desk are aligned with various hats, shirts, magnets and jewelry. She affectionately refers to this as high thrift and vintage, all made by local independent designers. Victoria has always opened her door to struggling artists, even when her store was a hole-in-the-wall with one chair in the very back. "I guess you can say that I am an activist, I like to make things happen," she said. Her actions can easily be labeled as those of an advocate who fundraises and pushes to bring art to the masses. In truth, it's more than that. It is proof that Vain is more than just a salon. It takes the extra step of putting in time and energy into co-hosting community events, establishing mentoring programs and allowing their space to be used for fundraising events. Organizations that have benefited from Vain's generosity include Seattle Young People's Project, Home Alive, Seattle Metrocenter YMCA, LGBT Community Center, Vera Project, Rose of Lima House, Jubilee Center and the Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. In 2005, Vain was selected to be the host of a fundraising event for Choice USA. The featured guest speaker was Gloria Steinem, a feminist, reporter, activist and co-founder of Choice USA.

This takes us back to what she calls the most important part of the client-hairstylist relationship: listening. She listened to what Seattle's art community needed. She used to hold art shows at her shop, but then decided it would be fun and not as intimidating for those of us who love art, but really don't know anything about it to just have art on the walls all year long. The works of art are up for only a certain amount of time before a new theme comes in and no piece costs more than $200 dollars. She then took it a step further and after tirelessly renovating the two top floors of her building, she was able to rent out 20 art studios to local artists. I was able to take a peak inside one and even though the room can be described as small, in reality to the artist using it, it's perfect.

In 2007, Vain took a big step and opened up a second location in Ballard. It holds the same principles and aesthetics as the original store and the crew couldn't be more excited in this new venture. They developed their Web site, adding profiles of all of the stylists, community events and a blog that keeps you up to date on the happenings at the store. This was just another way to invite the public in and to be an active part of Vain.

In truth, it's hard to label Vain as a salon because it's definitely more than that to the people who work there, the clients who get their hair cut and to those who create art there. When asked why she would she take so much on at once, Victoria answered with a laugh, "Because I am crazy!" She's not crazy at all. She is a shining example of what determination, belief, understanding and the importance of listening can create. So the next time you are in Belltown or Ballard, don't pass by the red and black building, walk right in. The door is always open.