Hi, I’m Tandra.
I grew up in the small town of Homer, but frequently was bounced between Homer and Cortland school district growing up. I ultimately decided to settle down with my two children Zaidyn and Corban in Homer, but that doesn’t mean that’s not where I chose to open Hair Studio 90. During the middle of the Coronavirus Pandemic in May of 2020 I tried going back to work at a local salon in Cortland where I was basically told in fewer words that “salons had been closed down for far too long and that this job should be one of my top priorities”. I remember walking out of the salon thinking to myself “yeah right, you aren’t even one of my top five priorities”. My drive home after that conversation was quiet, I was upset, nervous for the future, and scared thinking I had to find a new job (hopefully one with a boss that understands that I have to be a mother first). I laid in bed late that night because I couldn’t sleep, was scrolling through Facebook, and came across a space for rent that has been the home for many salon owners'/barber shops throughout the years. I took the leap and reached out to the owner and scheduled a time to look at the place the next day. Upon arriving I knew the salon wasn’t located in the best part of town, surrounded by poverty, persons suffering from addiction, and low- income housing, I knew the risk I would be taking if I chose to open my Hair Salon in this neighborhood. I left the premises, told the landlord I needed to think about what I wanted my future to look like, and on the way home something hit me. Cortland County was never intimidating to me, I never have felt unsafe, and I grew up poor so really who am I to judge. I decided right then I would open a Hair Salon at 2 Union Street and I would be PROUD to do so. I received a ton of backlash for opening a business during covid, for where I was opening my business, and didn’t feel as if I had a ton of support as most of my clients were from the Ithaca/Cornell area who were students that wouldn’t typically drive 30 minutes for a haircut or color.
The vision for my Salon would be to open a place that is family friendly, affordable (there really is a service for everyone here), a place where everyone is welcome, a judgement free zone, a safe space, and most importantly a cozy space for my clients to come in and relax while being pampered. I slowly built my business with what little equipment was left in the space by the landlord, my scisssors, and a a few tubs of lightener. I refused to take out any loans to protect myself and my chidlren’s future so I worked with what I had. If you have been my client from the beginning you know exactly what I am referring talking about, the terrible paint job, the wobbly chairs, that weird pedicure chair that didn’t work but looked creepy. I really feel like ya’ll have been through the trenches with me! haha, and look at us now!
Fast Forward to 2023. I am the still the PROUD Owner of Hair Studio 90 in Cortland, New York. I share the space with my Employee Lisa who has been here for 1.5 years at this point. Lisa worked at the first salon I worked for in Ithaca and taught me the basics of quite literally everything I know; I am beyond lucky to have her working by my side as she is a hard worker, friendly, and trustworthy. The appearance of the salon has transformed into the space of my dreams, the service list has grown and evolved, and the customer base has grown to something I could only have dreamt about in the past. My clients are what keeps this business up and running, you all make “work” enjoyable, it truly doesn’t even feel like a job to me. You all are and will always be my second family, and I could never thank you enough for all of you love and support.
Thank you.
