Meet Erin Wyrick | Stylist & Salon Owner

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

Hi Erin, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
I was still in cosmetology school when I realized that I could impact my community with just a pair of shears and a comb, and this is when I began using the skills I was learning to raise funds for our community in Colorado Springs. I started Cuts for Kara, a quarterly fundraiser for Kara Nichols, a friend of mine who had gone missing in 2012. When I opened Wildflower Salon I had a bigger platform to raise funds for her, I provide discounted hair cuts and donate 100% of the earnings to NWCAVE, an organization that helps missing and exploited women who was helping in efforts to find her. Unfortunately in February 2022, Kara was found deceased. The most previous fundraiser was utilized to donate funds to her family to help them through her court case as we seek justice for our beautiful friend. I still plan on doing Cuts for Kara in the future, still donating to NWCAVE in her name to help other vulnerable women and their families. We have also done fundraisers for local GoFundMe’s with the same sort of structure. I love letting my team know the power they hold as stylists, that not only can we impact our clients and make them feel empowered through a good haircut, but we as stylists can empower our entire community through fundraisers which help our community directly.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I like to look at Wildflower Salon as “a hair artist Co op”. Every stylist at Wildflower is an independent business themselves. They are all booth renters, which gives them the opportunity to hone in on who they are as individuals, creative artists as well as service providers. The most important part of the lease they all sign is to “follow their hearts”. They are expected to find their personal way to shine in the beauty industry, and I am expected to nurture that shine. We get messy and creative all together and we all decide how we handle our appointments, pricing and services separately. This is different than other salons because they each have their own space to grow their own brand under Wildflower’s name. Getting here was not easy, as we opened months before the 2020 pandemic began. We were open a few short months before we were forced to close temporarily to keep our community safe during the COVID outbreaks. During the time we were shut down, I used our business savings to keep us open so that none of my team would have to use the money they needed for their families to pay for salon rent. This was challenging for me financially, but to say it was worth it would be an understatement. My team knows how much I care for them and they know that they can rely on me to push us through hard times. We survived in 2020, so we can survive anything! We are a family, us Wildflower Girls. Much more than just a salon.

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?
Well, first off I would bring them to the place that Wildflower calls home, The Cottonwood Center for the Arts! We would definitely have to visit Jstar jewelry to find some one of a kind, contemporary accessories. In the arts center we would also head over to The Optical Alchemist, a creative photographer and set up a photo shoot to make some magic that could then be printed by Dave Gochis to last us a lifetime. We could even take a class or two at Cottonwood, and then we would definitely have to head over to Wade’s Cafe for their amazing pancakes and Rock City Cafe for their home made green chili around lunch time. In the evening if it’s the right weather and day we could head to hillside gardens for a little evening concert, but not before we stop at Mountain Mammas for some snacks and drinks to take with us! We would also need to make sure to have time to swing by Ashley’s Attic for a great deal on name brand clothes and Springs Spirituality for all things magical.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Wildflower Salon would not exist if I did not have an amazing mentor. I started assisting Leanna Tuff, an amazing stylist who had been in the beauty industry for 40 years. She sharpened my techniques as a stylist and gave me advice as a business owner. She set me up to open Wildflower Salon with confidence and ease. Dave Gochis also has been a partner through my journey of becoming a business owner. He is a photographer and when we first opened we were actually half Salon half photography studio. I couldn’t have gotten off the ground without him. And of course my husband, Corban Wyrick has supported me through every adventure but especially the one that is entrepreneurship. I love these people dearly for the ways they have helped me navigate through this journey, and continue to support me.

Facebook: Facebook.com/wildflowersalonbyerinwyrick

Image Credits
Dave Gochis, The Optical Alchemist