By ALIN HETT
Hays Post
Two longtime friends who once dreamed up a business together as children have opened a salon of their own at 1400 Main St., Hays.
Sarah Schaeffer and Brandy Burkholder opened Salt and Light Salon and Suites on Sept. 8. The two have worked together for 22 years, first at Beyond Salon and Day Spa and later at Hairware, where they spent their time as stylists.
Burkholder has been a cosmetologist for 22 years. She specializes in curly hair and curl cuts, and enjoys teaching clients how to care for and style their curls.
Schaeffer has worked as a hairstylist for about 23 years. Her specialties include color, blonding services and hair extensions.
Salt and Light Salon and Suites offers haircuts, styling and coloring, with each owner bringing her own focus to the work.
The pair had talked over the years about owning a business, but the idea took shape this summer when the opportunity to open the salon came together. They grew up about a block from the building and met when they were 10. Burkholder said the two even came up with their first business idea in her garage.
“We’ve been friends and dreamed up all kinds of different businesses in the meantime, but we are both passionate about hair now,” Burkholder said. “It feels like a full circle.”
Opening a business also meant taking on the uncertainty of change.
“A challenge has been putting our own fears aside and knowing that God has a plan and letting him kind of work that out instead of us being afraid every step of the way,” Schaeffer said. “There's money involved and change is hard, knowing that it wasn't ours to control.”
The salon’s name reflects the owners’ Christian faith. Burkholder said it comes from Matthew 5, in which Jesus tells his followers to be “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world.”
“We want to be that place of peace, joy and love,” Burkholder said. “And so, we hope to shine bright for Him and be that light spot in downtown and in Hays.”
That intention also shapes the atmosphere they hope to offer clients.
“Our goal here is to create an atmosphere of peace and joy,” Schaeffer said. “And just be a bright spot that people come and feel like you kind of get away from the world. If they want somewhere just to feel calm and still get great hair, and be loved as a child of God.”
The owners’ emphasis on nature and wellness also informs the products they choose for the salon.
The salon carries hair care and wellness lines both Schaeffer and Burkholder describe as having clean, nontoxic ingredients. The wellness products include items for personal care and the home, while the salon’s candles are selected with their ingredients in mind, too.
“They’re made from things God put on the earth,” Burkholder said, describing the products.
Burkholder said the goal is to offer items that support both “your insides and your outsides.”
Both Schaeffer and Burkholder said the downtown community has welcomed them, with local business owners checking in and sharing their excitement about the new salon.
Schaeffer said that support has helped them feel at home as they learn the work of running a successful business in the city where they grew up.
You can follow Salt and Light Salon and Suites on INSTAGRAM.