Every day when I walk to school with our younger son, we pass the Tony & Jenna Hair Studio, the new Paul Mitchell salon on the main drag as you enter Eastsound from the west side. Tony and Jenna were invited to speak to our older son’s high school class (multiple people from the community have been speaking about their lives and career paths), and he enjoyed them so much.
I decided I wanted to learn more about them myself, and I’d like to share them with you as well…
How did you make the decision to move from bustling Las Vegas to quiet Orcas Island?
Jenna: We had been looking for a place to raise our two girls (2 & 5 years old). Not wanting to raise them in a big city like Vegas, we were tired of the crime and the extreme heat. Our long-time client, Jackie Smith, told us about her magical island where she stays all summer long. She told us all about the culture and the need for stylists. So, we went on a “babymoon” while we were expecting our second. It was love at first sight! We were lucky enough to speak to some local teens while here. They told us about how they LOVED school! That honestly is what sold us. What teenager loves school?!? Only the ones on Orcas. We knew it would be a special place to raise our girls. I also felt very welcome right away. I don’t always fit in with my style (I prefer it that way, haha), but I was met with nothing but compliments and kind smiles. We just love the energy here!
Tell readers a little about your background – how you met (who doesn’t love a love story!) and how you got into the hairstyling business together.
Tony: Throughout my life, I realized that I was in need of a good partner, friend and wife. Somebody to share with me all the goods in life. In my moments of need, I would go out of the salon and talk to God about my perspective in life. I noticed that in order to be happier, I was in need of that special person. Lifting my eyes to the sky, I asked God, “Is there a person for me? A partner for me? A friend for my kids?“ (I have two children, adults now, from a prevIous marriage.) Two days later, she walked in the door. Jenna came to that salon to become part of the staff, and most important of all, she became that partner that I asked for, that wife that I asked for, that friend that I asked for.
If you weren’t in the hair business, what would you be doing instead? In other words, do you have any other dream jobs?
Jenna: It may sound cheesy, but this is my dream job! It’s more than a job, it’s a career, a lifestyle. I love being my own boss, and having a skill that I can take with me wherever I live. I can travel all over and still have my craft. I get to meet all kinds of people and make them feel good! I don’t feel like I am working at all, ever. Well, maybe when I have to do taxes, haha!
Tony, what’s your favorite thing about Jenna as a business co-owner? As a mother?
Tony: Being co-owner is not only about taking care of the duties of the business. It’s about being that person who is next to you that shines on your days even if it’s cloudy, and here in Orcas it’s mostly cloudy.
She’s the one who makes every day feel worth it in life. The best co-owner, she never says no to any business opportunity. She’s the best entrepreneurial partner that I can have. What can I say, as a mom she takes care of those princesses like nobody else. She will do anything to give them wings so they can fly together in Jenna’s world. I don’t know if we really found Orcas or if Orcas found us. I hope that we can be the family and business owners that the islanders need.
Jenna, what’s your favorite thing about Tony as a business co-owner? As a father?
Jenna: I’m not sure we have enough space in this article to include everything! I think I’m Tony’s biggest fan. I love that he has a way with clients and can meet them at a personal level. He can get anyone to just spill their guts in his chair. He can read people when they need help, you just see them having these really sentimental moments during his service. Afterwards, they look renewed outside and inside!
As a father, he is very patient with the girls. He doesn’t sweat the small stuff and puts things into perspective for me as a new mom.
Additional note :
We’d really like to thank Sommer McKenzie (The Barberess) for opening her salon doors to us when we started our new adventure on the island before moving into this space!
After photographing these two, there is no doubt how in love they are with each other and this place. They are lovely people!
