Meet Shawn Sherry of Lewis center

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shawn Sherry.

Hi Shawn, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’ve been interested in hair since high school — shout out to the brave souls who booked their prom appointments in my bathroom. I actually played soccer at Ohio State and earned my degree in Business of Fashion, but I always knew I’d end up behind the chair.

After finishing hair school, I started my career at a salon where I had an amazing mentor. She taught me not only how to do great hair, but what true hospitality really means — how people feel when they’re in your chair.

I’d had this vision for a concept like Collective for a long time, so when it was time to move on, I intentionally worked in a few different environments — suites, rentals, commission salons — to see what worked and what didn’t in our industry. I quickly realized I couldn’t find everything I wanted in one place.

I’ve always loved doing hair, but I wanted to find a way to create a new system for stylists and a more elevated experience for clients. That’s how Collective: Style & Social House was born. We’re coming up on three years in March, and I’m so proud of our team and this space that we’ve created.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?

It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. I care the most about the culture at Collective, so I’ve been super intentional about who I let into the space. Because of that, most of my challenges have been on the operational side rather than with people — and honestly, I’ll take those all day. There’s always a solution; you just have to be willing to figure it out.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’ve been a hairstylist for 13 years

I specialize in a highlighting technique called balayage. It’s a free hand, painting technique that allows clients to go longer in between services and gives a lived in, natural look

I’m the most proud of our Customer experience at Collective. Salons, coffee, shops, bars… Etc. have been around forever. We offer all of this in one space and put the client experience at the forefront. We strive to give the customer more than they would expect.

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Building this business was a pretty big risk. There isn’t another concept like this out there-and for good reason. There are a lot of moving parts. I’ve always been confident that if I have the right people around me, it will work.

I’ve always kind of thrived in chaos. I hadn’t had anything I had been working towards since I finished my soccer career. Creating this space reminded me of being on a team again and working together to build something. I’ve learned so much from taking this risk. I’ve learned a lot about myself and I’ve met amazing people along the way.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.acollectiveexperience.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/collectivestyleandsocialhouse?igsh=MW85eTZ0NjB5YnpzNA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr