Meet Anne Garcia | Salon owner/ hair stylist

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

Hi Anne, why did you pursue a creative career?
I pursed an artist career because I knew it was the only option I could be truly happy in, if I have to water myself down for a job I refuse to take it. I have a literal rocket scientist at NASA for a father so I had big shoes to fill, I know I filled them just not in the way anyone expected me to, but the pressure to prove my southern cookie cutter family wrong pushed me to work as hard as I have while staying true to who I am and what I know I want.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
When I first started doing hair it was for soccer moms at a boujee salon in Houston Texas, I copy and pasted the same partial highlight and bob onto every client. At 20 years old I moved to Austin Texas and came out of the closet, it was then that I realized how different hair affects you as a queer person, how strongly your identity is tied to it. Being one of the few if not only queer person in every salon I’d worked in pushed me to create Sinners, a space we could celebrate our queerness and individuality instead of following beauty industry trends to fit into what society deems acceptable.

I specialize in short hair, the struggle with finding a hair stylist that doesn’t give you a mens cut or a grandma cut is one all short hair afab people have experienced, I’m so proud to see the hair industry slowly changing back to its queer roots and away from the European beauty standard the patriarchy is enforcing.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my bestie was in town we’d be all set on S Broadway, I’d first take her to Colorado harvest company to get weed, then we would hit all the antique shops, starting with the odditorium and ending with the arc. I’d drag her into my favorite used book store, Fahrenheit’s books, you need at least an hour there, then set aside another hour for fifty two 80’s the coolest vintage toy store.

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?
Id shoutout my old mentor Bri. She took me under her wing when I was 15 and frying my own hair off, she was the first person to set me up with a manikin and bowl of color. Without her guidance this could’ve been a way bumpier ride.

Website: https://Www.sinnersdenver.com

Instagram: Misslemonhair

Image Credits
@Larissajohnsonphoto