My Story

Hi there, I'm Janine. I'm a proud native with deep roots here in Appalachia. As of 2024, we've had five generations of women living at the same time. Our history stretches much further back here in the mountains, with both strength and struggle. 

Hair has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. My sister taught me to braid at the age of 12, to help her. Back in the 90s and early 2000s, cornrows were big in the black community, men and women alike, and what started as helping her out quickly became a love and passion. By high school, I was doing family, friends and classmates hair.  I've been behind the chair for 18 years, and what started as a passion has truly become my life's work. For eight of those years, I was the proud co-owner of Roots Salon. A safe space for people to be seen, heard and pampered. In 2024, we lost Roots during Hurricane Helene. It was an incredibly hard loss, one that changed me. But it also opened the door to a new chapter.

I went back to school, earning my cosmetology teaching license, and found a new home in a studio salon in Black Mountain, NC, @ Broadway Styling Studio. Through all the changes, one thing has remained steady- I still deeply love what I do, the connections, and the quiet magic that happens in the chair.

Hair is my art form, but it's also my offering. It's how I care for people, how I help them return to themselves. I love how the hair industry is always changing, always growing- just like we are. And I don't take lightly the trust it takes for someone to sit in my chair and let me be a small part of their story.

This work is about more than beauty to me. It's about creating a safe space where people feel heard, at home and held, even if just for a little while. And after all these years, I'm still grateful to do it every day.