Blah Blah Blog

I’m so fortunate to have met so many of the coolest, smartest, fun-loving, adventurous, courageous, open-minded, and influential people throughout my career. It’s a job that I love and the people who have been in my life for these past 40 years mean so much to me and my Ground Zero family.

Ground Zero Salons have been bringing the community together for the past 35 years, and in this day and age where people have become so disconnected with each other, I thought, what better way to bring people out to celebrate a business that’s 35 years strong, and make a difference to the streetscape of a wonderful community?

Last Friday, March 12th, I had to do one of the hardest things a human has to do. I had to put down my buddy dog Dean Martin. It’s been a week since he passed, and the heartbreak I feel is only getting better because of the love I feel from my friends, family, and clients when they hear about D.

I started out in the hair industry when I was 20 years old in 1980. After I went to school for a year, I landed my first job in Reading, PA in ’81. My brother went to Albright College and knew someone who knew someone who worked for Paul Mazzotta, a hair care business run by two brothers, Joe and Paul Mazzotta.

When I went to Wilfred Academy hair school in September 1980, I remember sitting in the classroom with 60 other students during our orientation listening to the principal, Mr. Vincent. There was one thing he said that’s stayed with me: “To be truly successful in this business, you should never discuss religion, sex, or politics.”

“Snap out of it,” I said to myself. “It’s going to be okay. It’s going to be different, but you’ll adjust. It’s like riding a bike, just jump right back into it.”

Only now I’m riding an almost 40-year-old-bike and questioning if I want to get back on.

Five weeks ago, the government shut down my hair salon. At first I was pretty upset that the government considered my business to be non-essential. All of my hairdresser friends were also freaking out, because we know the impact we have on our clients. The thought of being dismissed…

I looked up the meaning of non-essential just to be specific as to what my business was categorized as. It’s an adjective that means: “Not Absolutely Necessary.” I have to disagree. Of course, in this horrible situation, we are certainly…