Longtime hairstylist opens the Oasis Salon
Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE – With scissors and comb in hand – and 20 years of hairstyling experience behind her – Jean Brawn felt the time was right for her to go into business for herself.
Oasis Salon, located at 422 Main St. in Presque Isle, opened April 5.
“I do hair care services – cutting, styling, coloring and perming,” she said, noting that the salon uses the Redken USA product line. “I work with men, women and kids; whoever would like something done to their hair. I have a lot of girls who come in for specialty work … they do pageants, and prom and wedding season is coming, and we’ll be developing some packages around those events.”
Prior to opening her own business, Brawn worked for a nationally known salon.
“I worked at JC Penney for six years. It’s nice to work for a big company because of the benefits, but with today’s economy, the benefits were slowly going away,” she said. “When I started to realize that I wasn’t getting that many benefits by working for someone else, it seemed like the right time [to start my own business].
“I had always resisted going on my own. I like to go to work, punch the clock, come home and not think about it. But owning my own business is much more fun, and I’m much more relaxed. I get to do things on a whim. I can order specialty items that I couldn’t do before because they had to go through certain channels. It’s nice to be able to say, ‘I think I’m going to offer this’ and then do it and not have to go and ask a boss who has to ask a boss who has to ask a boss,” said Brawn. “I have a business background and a lot of ideas that didn’t fit with the corporate world; I couldn’t implement my ideas and that’s frustrating. Now I have the support of my family which is great.”
Brawn spent some time coming up with the right name for the business.
“I knew I didn’t want to name it after me; I find that to be a little tacky. I thought about other places that I have run across over the years and names that I enjoyed and things that really made me go, ‘That is a place I would want to go,’” said Brawn. “I started thinking about words that lent themselves to the kind of business I want to run and the kind of environment I want to provide. I had originally thought about taking one of those words and putting it in a different language, but that just didn’t happen.
“Then I thought how this was a place that people come to get away from the daily grind. They come after work, they come on their lunch hour, they just want to sit, they want to have a conversation, they want to feel like they’re coming into your home and having coffee with their friend,” she said. “I think it’s always a feel-good experience when you’re getting your hair done whether it’s a guy getting his ears lowered or a girl coming in and having full-blown highlights and color. You always leave feeling better than how you came in, so the Oasis is just a way to get away. I found my palm tree logo and then I found a lot of palm trees, so it’s the right fit.”
The building had immediately before been Morning Star Art & Framing, which moved next door.
“My daughter frequents the art store and actually noticed that the space was available,” said Brawn. “She said, ‘They’re moving … is that something you’re interested in?’ so I went and took a look and it seemed to fit. It’s bigger than what I need right now, but there’s room for expansion, which is what I wanted. I currently have one employee [Susan Ennis], and there’s definitely room for one more … maybe more if we rotate out the chairs.
“I want to expand into nails sooner rather than later,” she said, “and eventually I’d like to get into skin care, and there’s room for all that here. I can expand probably twice without having to move locations which is excellent. Plus it’s nice to be downtown.”
Brawn said while a lot of her former customers have “tracked her down,” she’s always looking for new ones.
“Between Sue and I, we have more than 40 years of experience in this field. We’ve learned from our mistakes and learned what works and what doesn’t. I feel this is a high-end experience; if you’re not happy, we’re going to keep working until you are. There’s a lot of youth in this industry, and they just haven’t been around the block yet,” she said.
“We’re really just about having a good time. No matter what we’re doing, it’s going to be enjoyable,” said Brawn. “We’re always laughing about something or discussing current events within the city. We want things to be as professional and perfect as they can be; that’s the goal. Coming here will be your oasis.”
Oasis Salon is open from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday. To make a reservation, call 540-1480. Walk-ins are welcome.
A RIBBON-CUTTING CEREMONY was held recently at Oasis Salon, located at 422 Main St. in Presque Isle. Owner Jean Brawn said the salon currently provides hair care services – cutting, styling, coloring and perming – but upcoming plans including expanding into nails and eventually skin care. Pictured are, front row, from left: son, Jacob Brawn; Susan Ennis, stylist; Jean Brawn, and daughters, Emily and Karrie Brawn. Middle row: friend, Tiffany Kinney; City Councilor Don Gardner; friend, Mariah Hanning; customer, Ally Pizzuti; Nancy Fletcher, Presque Isle Area Chamber of Commerce board member; and husband, Gary Brawn. Back row: Theresa Fowler, executive director of the chamber; Gail Clukey, chamber board; Valerie Lunn, chamber administrative assistant; friend, Kurt Whisler; and Billie Brodsky, chamber board.
JEAN BRAWN, owner of Oasis Salon in Presque Isle, gets customer Ally Pizzuti ready for a haircut. Located at 422 Main St., the salon opened April 5. Brawn has 20 years of hairstyling experience behind her, and is looking forward to expanding into nails and possibly skin care down the road.
