Shani's Salon Is More Than Just a Hair Salon
Hair salon owner and stylist Dericee Hamilton is originally from Saginaw, Michigan and moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1996.
"My mother was a hairstylist and when I was growing up, I always helped her in her salon. I graduated from hair school at MJ Murphy, which is in Saginaw, Michigan in 1989. I went to college first at Ferris State University, where I majored in accounting."
Her first salon was open to the public in 1996 and the name of the business then was Hair Gallery and was located at 44th and Kalamazoo Street in the Town and Country Plaza.
"In 2000 I opened up another salon located at 2120 44th Street and I changed the name to Shani's Salon," said Hamilton. "So I have been a small business that is still has been in business for forty years, what a blessing. I don't have a staff of people, it is only me. I believe wholeheartedly in giving back, so I have just started an academy where I teach how to do eye lash extensions."
How did the Corona virus affect business at the hair salon?
"I couldn't come to work for a period of time, so I just had to reach out to my clients and tell them to stay strong and that we would be back together soon," she said. "I encouraged them to wash and condition their hair and if the needed any other information to please feel free to call me. If they needed to call me to ask what kinds of products they should be using to maintain their hair, I was there for them. The space that I am in now is a bigger salon, I have more space and I limit the number of people in my salon. I do appointments only and I have a separate area for clients to wait in before they enter the styling room and a separate room for micro-braiding and a separate room for eye lash extensions, so I definitely have the space to keep my clients six feet apart."
One specialty that Shani's Salon offers is micro-blading, which is a semi permanent tattoo, and I learned how to micro-braid at Sassy Wick Academy. I also specialize in eyelash extensions, which I have been trained under Extreme Eyelash.
"I really enjoy being a business owner," said Dericee. "I enjoy working alone and developing a one on one relationship with my clients. I enjoy controlling my appointments, my overhead and everything that comes along with owning your own business. When I saw my mother running her own hair salon when I was growing up, I knew that I could do the same thing when I became and adult. My mother Annie Banks would say, "Just do the best that you can Ricee, and get your name out there so that people will know you and make sure that you learn everything that you can learn. She recently passed away on March 12. 2020. She was well known as a hair stylist in Saginaw, Michigan."
Hamilton says that she would not be able to be an entrepreneur and business owner without the love and support of her husband Marvin Hamilton.
"My husband has supported me one hundred percent and more," she said. "When I decided to move into this building and into this office space, he was a little overwhelmed at how I wanted the salon to look but he was humble and kept saying, "It's what Ricee wants, It's what Ricee wants and I trust her'. We have a good relationship and we are in this thing together. The space on 44th Street works out great for the both of us because he can have small meetings and events and I can still operate my hair salon, it is a Hamilton thing," she said jokingly.
For more information about Shani's Salon or to book an appointment with Dericee Hamilton, please call 616-633-5881 or online at www.shanissalon.com.
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