Local Lather Hair Studio next step for young entrepreneur
Lauren Schwoeppe still takes moments when she is cleaning up on Sundays at her Huntingburg salon to marvel at being a business owner.
In the quiet, the impact of her simple inquiry about a building on Fourth Street leading to opening her hair studio surprises her. As she looks around at the personal touches and vision she and her husband, Craig, brought to life in the building, “I can’t help but dance,” Lauren said.
The 27-year-old walked into the garage-turned-salon at 302 N. Main Street in Huntingburg in late September and, after an intense weekend of renovation and redecoration, opened up as The Local Lather Hair Studio October 1.
She’s always wanted to own her own studio just like she’s always wanted to work as a hairstylist. Though, there was a brief stint pursuing teaching as a career when she was in high school. “I thought I wanted to work with kids,” Lauren laughed. “But, my senior year I was in cadet teaching and I worked with sixth graders.”
This experience helped her realize that teaching wasn’t necessarily what she wanted to do. “I feel like I was settling on a career,” she said about teaching. “I knew in my heart I wanted to do something artsy.”
With a love for working with hair and making people feel good about themselves, she made the decision to go to The Salon Professional Academy in Evansville. About a year after graduating from Heritage Hills, she started her first job at Lori’s Day Spa in 2012.
A single comment set things in motion for Lauren opening The Local Lather Hair Studio.
Lauren came out of the shutdown this year just ready to get back to helping her customers. She — like many hairstylists — was overwhelmed by the flow of people looking for a proper haircut or style after being relegated to either taking a chance with a kitchen-based haircut, working out some new styling options, or, if at a total loss, just wearing a hat.
When things began to get back to normal, the St. Henry resident stopped by Offset Promotions in Huntingburg and mentioned to Brian and Devin Craig that she would be interested in putting a salon in the unfinished portion of their building on Fourth Street some day.
“I’m just kind of obsessed with that building and thought it would be an awesome space for a salon,” she explained, “whether that was one year or three years down the road”
Leaving it at that, Lauren continued working at Jagged Edge but that comment bore fruit.
Word that Lauren was interested in owning her own salon made its way to one of the stylists at The Atomic Bombshell. A friend of Lauren’s, she reached out to tell her the owner of The Atomic Bombshell was looking to sell the business or close it if someone didn’t step in.
So Lauren stopped by to take a look at the space which has served as a salon since 2013 and felt like it was fit for her to move from renting chair space to owning her own space.
She says the hardest part of the decision to open The Local Lather was meeting with Amy to let her know she was leaving The Jagged Edge. But, with tears in her eyes, she was relieved to find out that Amy was expecting Lauren to take that step.
With the hard work of her husband, Craig, as well as family members and friends, she quickly added elements to the building to make it her own vision for a salon. One in which clients can feel comfortable, relaxed, and welcome while they are there meeting with her or one of the four stylists that now fill the space.
Amy’s support combined with that of a few of her peers and friends, made the decision to start her own salon that much easier. Lauren said she always knew she wanted to grow. “And sometimes you have to take a leap to grow.”
Her clients are what drives her passion for her job. “I love communicating and connecting with my clients,” she explained. “And, I like making people feel confident and beautiful.”
You can see all of what The Local Lather Hair Studio offers including base prices by visiting here. Lauren and the four other stylists can be reached online or by phone at 812-684-8118. Hours are Mondays 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Tuesdays and Wednesdays 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Thursdays 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Fridays 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Saturdays 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. You can also email the salon at thelocallather@gmail.com or follow on Facebook or Instagram.
