The Follicle Memories - Part 3
Needless to say, I enjoyed my manicure, asked the team member so many questions about the industry and left feeling like a really big window had opened. I researched programs, looked into daycare for my daughter, and set things in motion. My daughter started senior kindergarten in Sept.’96 and I started an Aesthetics program at Luba Mera in Oct. ‘96.
Luck or fate came into play in May 1997. My friend (Earline) spotted a job ad in the Burlington Post advertising for a local busy day spa looking for an aesthetician. I applied and I joined The Follicle team that year.
Over the next 16 years, I would work at The Follicle, expanding my treatment knowledge, and meeting many new clients, surrounded by a team of hard-working and talented women. Eva became my friend and mentor. She taught me the important lessons needed to manage the business. I became her Spa Manager and continued to grow professionally while working alongside her. Maybe Eva knew that I would be a good fit to take over the business and that is why I am here today. She decided it was time to start her well-deserved retirement and that is when my husband and I and another couple agreed to become new owners of the business.
A lot of changes were happening then. It was 2013, the property that The Follicle was located on sold and it was time to find a new home. After much searching, we came upon an empty medical office building that was to become our new home. Eva and I had the task (a lot of fun I must say) of planning the renovation and shopping for the new furniture and items needed for the spa. It was a very exciting time watching it come to fruition and we were pretty proud of the end result. We gave the spa and salon an updated look and an atmosphere that we hoped would make our guests feel calm and pampered, and want to keep coming back. I hope we succeeded. It was most definitely a labour of love for the two of us.
When we took over the business and moved to our new location at the corner of Guelph Line and New St. it breathed new energy into all of us. It was a big change and move but something we all wanted and we were happy to be a part of. I have to say honestly, getting to 50 years was on my mind back then. What will the business look like in 2022? The aesthetics industry has grown and changed over the many years we have been open. From services offered to the time clients want to spend in the spa. As our lives became busier, treatments became shorter with faster results. We at The Follicle continued to stay true to our practices here. Offering calming, relaxing and rejuvenating treatments. With that in mind, we continued on, working, training, and growing the business.
It’s 2020 and the world is changing. We are adapting to a pandemic that would affect everyone. “Pivot,” I think, is my word for 2022. We, like so many small businesses, have had to learn to “pivot” and adapt so often that it’s quickly becoming the new normal. I have to say that my passion for the business and the importance of my team have become the motivation to get through these past 2 years. Our loyal clients have been the other. Without these 3 things, I don’t think we would have made it to 50 years, never mind through a pandemic. The kind words and support from everyone remind me every day how lucky we are to have our business. I am grateful to the women and men that have helped paint, fix, move furniture, repair, clean, decorate, give up weekends and more for our small business.
I feel such a sense of pride as I type these memories. I have unwittingly become a part of a legacy of women who have followed their passions and been part of an industry that makes women and men feel better inside and out. Offering care, compassion, relaxation, and most importantly a place where our guests feel welcome. Treating everyone who enters like they’re visiting a best friend is what we all have worked toward over the years.
Memories. I will treasure these always. My wish is to share more of them with you and celebrate the journey we have made together over the past 50 years.
Yours in wellness,
Lory Green
Managing Director and Aesthetician
Read Part 1 here
Read Part 2 here
