Knowing that her customers and staff enjoy chatting with each
other is one of Cherisse White’s favorite things about her hair
salon.
By Megan Glenn
Knowing that her customers and staff enjoy chatting with each other is one of Cherisse White’s favorite things about her hair salon.
“I’m not the kind of person who can work by themselves,” White said.
That focus on people – and in 2009, their pets – was one of the reasons Cherisse’s Hair Salon was honored as Business of the Year by the Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce.
White said she was so excited about winning that when she found out, she halted in the middle of cutting a man’s hair to enthusiastically hug the Chamber representative who stopped by to tell her.
The past year was good for White’s business – despite a sluggish economy, the salon’s sales grew by 8 percent, and services grew by 9 percent.
But when it comes to highlights, White said she was especially proud of a pair of charity projects started in 2009. For one, she called on customers to donate old blow dryers, curling irons and other styling tools, which then went to Community Solutions and to single women who needed them.
The second was a Pet Wash, something she had wanted to do for three years, White said. But the project didn’t come together until a Girl Scout troop leader mentioned to White that her girls were also looking to pamper some pooches for a badge.
White and her staff spent a scorching summer Sunday afternoon with 10 Girl Scouts, 37 dogs, four pet groomers, a couple of professional pet photographers and numerous other volunteers, and raised $1,000 for the San Martin Animal Shelter.
“We literally had a ton of people show. It was super messy. I had dog hair up my nose,” White said.
It was the Pet Wash that caught the eye of the chamber, said President Chris Guisiana.
“You wouldn’t necessarily associate that with a salon,” Guisiana said. “They just go above and beyond what a small business does.”
And White said she would be using the award as a jumping point to go even further, sending articles to national styling magazines featuring her advice on running a successful business. After all, doing so would just be another way to chat about her passion.
Salute Morgan Hill
When: Saturday, Jan. 30
Where: Morgan Hill Community and Cultural Center
Tickets: Available at the Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce, 90 East 2nd St. or by contacting the Chamber’s special events director at 779-9444, or emailing mn*****@********ll.org
