Meet Erin Macias of bE SALON in Cave Creek

Today we’d like to introduce you to Erin Macias.

Erin, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
As a little girl possibly five years of age, my grandmother would take me with her when she had one of her weekly visit to “The Beauty Parlor” and I fell in love at first sight. The smell of nail polish remover, hair dye, and perms, the gossip, visiting with old friends, making new ones and the hustle of making someone feel beautiful. I fell in love! I always loved how I felt walking out of a salon but what I really loved was watching my grandmother walk out. She held her head a little higher, her walk was a little snappier and she would stare at her brightly colored nails all the way home. She felt beautiful, glamorous, and that, in turn, made her sparkle.

I moved to Southern California after high school to attend SDSU to work towards a degree in The Art of Mortuary Science. After a year or two, I just wasn’t happy there and wanted to come home. My mother said I could come home but I would have to work or go back to school. I tossed around the thought of cosmetology school but at the time, I thought it was too much money and took too long, so I decided to go to Nail technology school. It was about 25K less and about 1000 hours less. I told my mom what I was going to do and she just didn’t understand. She thought it wasn’t what I should have been doing. But, in the end, she became my biggest fan! Even though my grandmother practically lived at her local salon, it was nothing my mother understood. She was to busy raising four kids on her own so pedicures and manicures were just not her things. To my mom, getting her hair cut was a necessity, not a feel-good experience.

I started nail school and LOVED it! I loved the atmosphere, I loved meeting new people and I was happy. I had an amazing teacher who taught me the things I have carried through my career today. Like, continue to educate yourself, if you think you know it all, you know nothing. My nail career was awesome! I ended up working and educating for one of the best acrylic companies in the industry as well as the men that I worked for. I traveled to the United States, taught classes and competed in nail competitions. I was one of the best, I won several competitions and I was lucky enough to have my mom as my nail model. After doing that for a few years, I felt like I did all I could have done in the nail industry and I was tired of traveling (oh, and I met the man of dreams). I decided to go back to work in the salon but again I wasn’t happy. So, I decided to go back to school and get my Cosmetology license.

Once again, I fell in LOVE, the chemistry, the art, the vibe, and watching people walk out the door after I had done their hair. The way they would swing their hair, the smile, the way they couldn’t keep their hands out of their freshly beautified locks and I was the one who was able to make them feel that way. I worked in salons for about six years and then, my mother suddenly passed (quick little note about my mom she was smart, a hard worker, an entrepreneur, amazing mother, and a business savvy beast).

After my mom’s estate was settled, I knew exactly what she would want me to do with the money she left. So, I opened bE Salon (b= Barbara, my mom, and E= Erin). My husband came up with the name so I could always have her with me. I had dreamt of owning a salon one day and now, four years in, I couldn’t be luckier. I have an amazing staff, we have an awesome reputation, I am lucky to go to work with such a talented group of people everyday and business are thriving. There are definitely hard moments, there have been days when I just want to throw in the towel and those are few and far between. There are also days when I am alone in the salon and I am locking up for the night, I look around and think to myself “I did it!”, the American dream, right?!

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
NO! I have learned a lot about myself, and others. I have had a stylist sneak out in the middle of the night. I have had two stylists that I thought were my friends walk out. I was mad and devastated but after the anger towards the situation wore off, I had to stop and take a look within. I had to be real with myself and find out what I could have done to be a better boss, not a friend. I learned that things really do happen for a reason and most of the time for the better. After the walkouts, I learned to be open and honest with my staff in hoping they would do the same.

I had to set some boundaries of boss vs. friend. I learned that stylists are going to come and go the same way I had throughout my career. I learned that my most important priority was the happiness of my staff. The happier my stylist is does not reflect in their work but throughout the salon and on to the clients.

One of the best compliments I hear from clients… “Everyone here is so happy and it seems like a big happy family.”

bE SALON – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I personally love doing foliage, balayage, teasylights and root smudge blending. I get into a zen-like zone when I apply color and I can visualize the outcome. I have a certain reason for each and every foil placement, or color application. How is the color going to fall around her face? Is it going to not only compliment her skin tone, face shape but also her attitude, her strengths, IS SHE GOING TO LOVE IT?

I start to get excited walking my client to the shampoo bowl. I start pulling out foils or rinsing off color and it’s like magic the color is revealed. It’s then that the roller coaster feeling in my stomach stops and it’s gorgeous.

As a brand, I am most proud of our community awareness and willingness to help. We are surrounded by five elementary schools, one middle school, and two high schools. We are involved in charitable donations to all of them. Whether it is for fundraisers for the local football team for new equipment, helping cheerleaders to travel to state finals, raising money for new library books, etc. Or my all time favorite donating hair and makeup services to an elementary fundraiser where we get to pamper the teachers for a few hours.

On a busy day, as I look around the salon and take a quick glance at the stylists working, I’m proud. I see my stylists talking to one another, talking out formulations or asking for a second opinion from another stylist. Knowing that none of them are better than the other but that they all have their own specialties. We really are a team, when someone is running behind, there is always someone who notices and helps pick up the slack. The attention to detail to and for every client. That is what sets us apart…

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I do believe in luck!
I believe that good luck is earned from hard work, perseverance, kindness, humility, humbleness, and an amazing coffee!! (p.s. Hair stylists run on coffee!!)

As far as bad luck, I believe those are life lessons we must learn along the way. It’s how you learn from “bad luck” and turn it into good luck that separates us.

I still have so much to learn and I am learning each day how to be a better Boss, stylist, friend, mother, wife, human… who knows what the future holds for me. But I’m pretty sure it’s going to be a great story one day.

Pricing:

• Women’s Haircut $50
• Base Retouch $70
• Partial Highlight $90 & up
• Half Highlight $110 & up
• Bayalage $145 & up
• Teasylights/Foliage $155 & up
• Root Smudge $45.00

Contact Info:

• Address: bE Salon
  29455 N, Cave Creek Rd
  Suite #138
  Cave Creek, AZ 85331
• Website: besalonaz.com
• Phone: 4804730254
• Email: besalonaz@gmail.com
• Instagram: besalonaz
• Facebook: besalonaz
• Other: azhairstylist_ erin personal instagram

Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.