When Francine Austin traces the path of her entrepreneurial spirit, she draws a line from Adams Street in Hartford to a 30-acre farm in Easley, S.C., which her grandparents owned.
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When Francine Austin traces the path of her entrepreneurial spirit, she draws a line from Adams Street in Hartford to a 30-acre farm in Easley, S.C., which her grandparents owned.
“My journey has been a learning lesson for me,” said Austin, a Hartford native.
In the Old South, few African Americans owned their own land or business. The independence of her grandparents was something Austin never forgot.
As a child growing up in the 1970s, her goal was to own a salon. An aunt was a hairstylist and Austin enjoyed styling the hair of older women. She liked the way a new “do” made people feel and look.
“I wanted to have a place that would represent people of color, where we could feel honored, where we could go and relax. I wanted a place for us to understand how important it is for us to replenish our souls.”
Her journey to the salon business was detoured by a stint in the corporate world, working in Cigna's group-pension division for six years in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
“I was miserable and unhappy,'' Austin said of her experience. Corporate life, however, taught her about time management and the importance of interpersonal and problem-solving skills.
After being laid off at Cigna, a year of cosmetology school and getting her certification followed. In 1994, Austin landed a job at D. Willis International Hair Salon in Hartford. Dorothy Willis (and later salon entrepreneur Vivian Akuoko) taught Austin the business side of the salon industry, which included the value of customer service, producing a quality product, marketing and how to balance the books.
By 2000, it was time for this spiritual woman to take a faith walk.
Francine's Salon and Day Spa was opened in an office park on Barnard Lane in Bloomfield. It was not a traditional store-front salon; and some potential investors balked at backing a hair salon with no windows. So, she put up her own money.
“You have to believe in yourself because not everybody is going to believe in what you believe in,” Austin said. “I always knew I was going to do this. And I stepped out on faith. We made it work. From a business standpoint, they didn't believe in me because I'm not doing what a typical stylist would do. And here I am 15 years later, and a lot of people who started out in storefronts are no longer in business.”
Austin preferred a non-store-front property because there is more privacy and parking for her clients.
“First of all, women don't want to have their hair sticking up in the window and have people walking by,” she said. “And I didn't want people walking by and selling me socks or videos. I wanted a place where there was lots of parking.''
Of her 50 to 60 clients, most are “corporate wives,” professional women and retirees.
The salon business is a word-of-mouth industry. Austin says she prides herself on promptness and keeping her appointments on schedule.
“I get people in and out. I don't play,” she said. “You have to figure out the type of clients you want. If you're professional, you'll get professionals.”
Some clients have moved out of state, yet still fly in for a session from such places as Florida, Chicago, even a woman from England.
An accomplished cook, Austin attributes her customers' loyalty to the ambiance and environment of her salon — and the fact that she can burn up a kitchen.
Her business, which employs four people, is not so much about hair, feet, nails, facials and massages. Austin sees it more as a sistah-hood and support group — a place where customers can sip a glass of wine and grab a plate of ribs.
There are “martini manicures” and an array of wines at the ready. On Thursdays, clients can expect some home-cooked food — pasta, ribs, collard greens, quiche, apple pie and, during the holidays, egg nog.
Her love of cooking and her vivacious personality recently landed Austin a spot on ABC's popular daytime culinary talk show “The Chew.” An Austin client knew one of the show's producers and told her about this loquacious salon owner who makes food a staple of her business.
Austin's brown sugar bourbon barbecue ribs won The Chew's best recipe honors. As a result, Austin's phone and email have been inundated with well-wishes from folks across the country.
The national exposure is also bringing attention to her thriving salon.
The journey continues.
Stan Simpson is the principal of Stan Simpson Enterprises LLC, a strategic communications consulting firm. He is also host of “The Stan Simpson Show” which airs Saturday, 5:30 a.m., on Fox CT — and online at www.fox61.com/stan. You can reach him at stansimpsonenterprises.com
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