Meet Tina Garbe | Salon owner & stylist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tina Garbe and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tina, what role has risk played in your life or career?
For me risk is a way to experience growth. Risk doesn’t have to be seen as a negative thing. You can take a risk and have it still be well thought out and methodical. Every time I moved to a different place to live it was a risk. But it was to experience a new place, with hopefully new larger opportunities. Each time I would move, I would leave an entire clientele that took me years to build each time. And then I would have to rebuild my business each time I resettled. A lot of people wouldn’t want to take that risk. It’s easier to stay in one place, with the same job and the same people because it’s comfortable. My risks led me to experience lots of cool new places to live. I learned how to accommodate all different types of clientele. I got to meet all different types of salon owners and learn from their experiences. I now own my own business with a thriving clientele, in a place I really love to live. I don’t have to wonder “what if.”

What should our readers know about your business?
I’ve owned my own business for 7 years in Boulder Colorado. It’s a small but cozy and luxurious hair studio and I am a one woman show. I try to make sure every person that walks through my door feels listened to, well taken care of, and has the chance to relax and leave feeling good about themselves. I could easily say that at the end of almost every work day, before I lock up for the day I have a moment where I stop and think how proud I am of my space and how much I truly love it. I dreamt about having my own salon for many years, so seeing my ideas come to life is a very fulfilling feeling. I started working in a salon when I was 14 years old, sweeping hair and shampooing. It’s the only job I’ve ever had and I’m now 35. That many years of working in so many different salons gave me the chance to see every right and wrong way things could be done. I’ve met and learned from some really great business owners and some not so great ones as well. In the end, I decided smaller was better for me. I didn’t want to have to depend on other people’s work ethic for my business to succeed. I started to learn about the “salon suite” version of owning a business which is where you have a storefront inside of large co-working space. I would get to bring my vision to life on a much more manageable scale, while still having other creative people working around me doing the same thing. This concept is really starting to change the beauty industry in a big way. Even on a small scale though, it was a huge project to actually jump ship and go out on my own. I had an overbearing, intimidating boss that wanted to prevent any stylist working for them to thrive beyond the front doors of their own business, Learning how to navigate that legally and with a good plan was probably one of the bigger challenges. I had lots of clients by this time who were all very supportive and introduced me to a lot of great resources to be able to navigate my journey. Along the way, I’ve learned you truly get out what you put in to any situation or goal in life. Just because my business is successfully up and running doesn’t mean I can just go on autopilot. I have to keep feeding it with effort if I want my brand and space to thrive and keep up with the constant changes of the beauty industry. The good news is, it’s fun for me and I love it! Being a small business owner is one of my greatest accomplishments and brings me a lot of joy.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I always take new visitors up to Mount Evans, the highest paved road in America. The views are spectacular and it’s a great way to start someone’s first trip to Colorado with a bang. We would then stop at west bound and down in Idaho Springs for a beer and some good food. Back down in the Boulder area we would make sure to check off hiking the Brainard lake area, hopefully seeing a moose. After a long morning of hiking we’d stop in to Crosscuts in Nederland to have pizza along the river. We’d have to do a solid city day in Denver maybe hitting up one of the art museums, union station, and the rhino neighborhood. In no particular order, throughout the week of my friend visiting I would try to make it to as many of these restaurants as I could with them. Tavernetta, Mister Oso, Sushi Ronin, Bramble and Hare, Basta, Blackbelly, Bruto, Uncle. The food options here are just endless. If we had enough time we would try to do a roadtrip to either Telluride, Crested Butte, or Aspen. And of course we would have lots of brewery hopping happening during their visit.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to dedicated my shoutout to my husband Danny who was my biggest cheerleader when it came time to open my own business. It took a scary amount of money, time, and effort. Any time I would start to doubt myself or feel overwhelmed, he would remind me that “I got this.” His support meant the world to me.

Website: boulderhairloft.com

Image Credits
Photo of me mixing color, and me styling the bride with a flower crown- Brian Mallik