First and foremost, we would like to THANK YOU, for being a part of our journey and experience here at Flipp. We have officially entered 2024, and as of February it will be 13 years since we first opened our doors to greet you! So many experiences shared, stories told, graduations had, welcomed babies, navigated through significant events, including elections and the challenges posed by the recent pandemic.
Our little business has evolved in many ways over the years. Some foundational principles still and always will remain, such as our ethos and philosophy around creating, and being a space that is free from the toxicity that our industry unfortunately can create. We have always and will always use plant based and botanically based products, support quality Indie brands with a strong ethos, and aim to create an environment that feels like respite. We support organizations nationwide and locally that are warriors for our community and for the environment such as ECO R.I.The HUMSUM project, Terracycle and their Saloncylce program, United Plant Savers, The American Herbalists Guild, Wild Plant Society of R.I., The Dresscode Project and more.
I would like to take this opportunity to invite you for a deeper look into our world, our profession, our industry, and to dispel some of the mystery and questions you may have about how it all works.
One way that we have evolved over the years is by adopting a time based model for our booking.
Time-Based Appointments:
Let's break this down a bit. Our team is made up of a collective of independent contractors. They rent their work space from Flipp. They are in complete control of their schedules, pricing, and clientele, with my support (Jo-Anna, owner, artistic director and general organizer of things). Although we are a collective of independents, we also support each other as a team. This is part of the culture we have built over 13 years, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Being part of a team is so important. I’m really proud of who we are in this regard, as cultivating that culture in a contractor (or “rental”) setting is really challenging.
We feel as a collective that a time based model is the best way to go. It eliminates gender bias, with women historically paying more just because it was labeled as a women’s cut ( and that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to topics of gender). Hair has no gender…the style and cut takes the time it takes. With a time based model the price is transparent. There is no additional math or sticker shock at the end of the appointment, as the client knows in advance at the time of booking what the service will cost (unless the appointment runs over for some unforeseen circumstance), the client knows and is prepared. Sometimes the appointment can run over, but this is rare. Tipping is not expected, as our prices have been calculated to provide us with what we need. Some clients choose to, on occasion, tip anyway, just know that it is never expected, but if you insist, we are grateful. Again, not necessary.
Technical Artistry: The Craft Behind the Chair
Most of us here at Flipp have been in this industry for over a decade, some of us for over two decades. We have seen a lot of evolution, but it has been really slow. We are now just starting to see real appreciation and recognition in the professional realm and arena. The profession of Cosmetology has historically been tied to stigma. That it has been a choice of those who are uneducated or that have been unsuccessful at doing anything else.
Our industry is a mystery to most people. We don’t really talk about our experience behind the chair too often, unless we are asked and even then time is limited. We have an hour (sometimes less, sometimes more) to listen, engage, empathize while at the same time trying to create something that speaks directly to the client’s vanity and vulnerability. No pressure ;). We love what we do.
A haircut takes into consideration the texture, density, shape, contour of the head and face, the actual architecture and design of the cut onto the fiber (the hair) that will behave in a certain way according to gravity, density, texture, humidity or dryness, and other factors. Formulating hair color is also a multi layered process. The actual formula will be made depending on the state of the hair and the desired results, the placement of color on the head to achieve said design. The tools needed also depend on the desired result. We have to determine what is actually possible because sometimes, according to the condition of that fiber (the hair), what it has already been exposed to and what it can actually take, it is physically impossible to execute in order to create that desired look without causing excessive damage. These are just a few of the things that are at the forefront of our thinking when someone sits down for their appointment.
In order to do our work, we require a wide variety of tools (a single pair of professional cutting shears is often upward of $1000) , supplies and equipment which all need to be maintained, some need to be replaced over time and some need to be constantly replenished. These supplies are VERY costly, and like everything else go up with inflation. In order to create a beautiful, safe and clean space to do our work in and to provide what we hope is a beautiful and relaxing experience for our clients requires constant upgrades and maintenance. The costs can be staggering sometimes. There is no corporate oversight, no 401K, no paid time off, no sick day compensation. It all falls on us, and we need to budget and prepare. Aside from our work expenses, we all also have a life outside of the salon. Rent or mortgages, food, utilities, health insurance, taxes, all the things required to live a normal life. We as a team have landed on the costs of our services taking into account ALL of these things. We have to. We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t. We couldn’t be here.
Navigating Cancellations: A Collective Understanding
As a team on independent stylists, we don’t have an entity that supplies us with a paycheck and all the perks that go along with that. Our only and exclusive source of income is from the clients we service. It has been a common but unhealthy practice in our industry to not uphold a cancellation policy. That is changing for the better, as more and more salons and service industry businesses are adopting a healthy cancellation policy and standing by it. This topic can be, and often is awkward for all parties involved, especially when there is a lack in explanation or detail as to why a policy like this is important and needs to exist. While this post may be a bit lengthy, my sincere hope is that the information provided serves to educate in a detailed and in-depth manner. I aim to express this discourse in a heartfelt and meaningful way. For us, it has been a bit of uneasy evolution, we had to readjust our mindset around it, however we feel that it is crucial for our well being to uphold these policies and we sincerely hope that this post helps to clear up the gray area around this topic.
There has been a lot of discussion amongst us, and we landed on the 48 hour policy, as that gives us enough time to try to fill the cancellation. This time is crucial, especially as some services run 2-3 hours, leaving us with quite the gap in time and income for the week. It also gives the client plenty of time to let us know they are not feeling well, or that they have another commitment they can’t get out of.
Imagine this happening every week…imagine your company paying you significantly less in a week every time something happens in the office that you have no control over. That is what it was like for all of us before having, and standing by a cancellation policy.
We know things happen sometimes, and that life can be unpredictable and sometimes folks have to cancel after the 48 hour timemark. In these cases, the stylist will decide how to handle it, but overall we feel it is a fair gesture on both parts to cover the time missed by at least 50%. Again, this depends on the stylist and the circumstance. If it is something that a client repeats over and over, the stylist may decide to honor the 100% appointment fee. Unfortunately last minute cancellations are impossible to fill, and for all of the reasons and info I mentioned in the previous paragraphs, we simply have to honor the policies. All this info may be overkill, but we hope this clears up some of the mystery around why more and more, our industry and other service industry folks have to maintain and honor a cancellation policy.
Since adopting this policy, we've been heartened by the understanding and support from our clients. We sincerely thank you for standing with us in navigating this aspect of our industry.
Exciting Plans for the Future
Going forward, we have some really awesome plans for the upcoming year! We are continuing our evolution with some advanced classes on cutting and coloring, and hosting some amazing masters in our industry! Live music nights will resume in March, we will be rotating the artwork and hosting a local artist that we are super excited about. We will send out a newsletter around these events with more info.
We are super happy about the opening of our sister shop and herbal apothecary, Botanic Providence! Follow the shop on all the socials for the classes and workshops happening there. Botanic’s Instagram. With Botanic, we are working on creating some amazing hair care and skin care, along with seasonal supportive tea blends to serve during your services. We will also be adding some new services to our menu that we are excited about. Please sign up for our newsletter if you don’t already receive it to stay up to date and be informed on all of the new and awesome things happening this coming year.
We would also like to remind folks that from Monday through Wednesday, Acupuncture is available at our sister shop Botanic Providence. Appointments can be made directly through Masha Aguirre, Acupuncturist. You can easily reach her through her Instagram .
Warm regards, Jo-Anna and the Flipp Team
*Please enjoy these images of the Flippsters Halloween celebrations over the years
