Meet the Owner: Ginger Snips Beauty Salon

It's not that Ginger Morgan doesn't appreciate having her beauty salon right behind Starbucks. “We're very happy that (Starbucks) brought a lot of traffic that otherwise Seminole Heights would not have had,” she said.

But the truth is, Ginger Snips Beauty Salon opened 16 years before the coffee mega chain staked its claim at Hillsborough and Central avenues. And with nearly four decades in the beauty industry, and living practically all her life in Seminole Heights, it's fair to say that Morgan is quite established in the neighborhood, thank you very much.

Ginger Snips Beauty Salon

5407 N Central Ave.

813-237-3172

On the Ginger Snips menu: Hair styling, hair extensions, manicures, pedicures, facials, massage.

Snips staff: Currently Ginger Snips hosts nine hair stylists and a massage therapist/aesthetician/nail tech.

Starbucks is a good neighbor, but: “The only negative is there's limited space for parking,” Morgan said of how Starbucks customers can take up on-street parking during peak hours.

Why she's a Seminole Heights business owner: “It was a good buy back then,” Morgan said of her location when she opened the shop in 1990. “I've just always felt comfortable here. I've lived in this neighborhood my whole life. I like the sense of individuality here. We're not in a gated community, we don't have subdivisions, where every house is the same sort of situation.”

A daughter of Seminole Heights: Morgan grew up on Lynn Avenue near Henry and Ola Park, and later lived on East Hanna Avenue. She now lives on Central Avenue, a stone's throw from her salon.

Ginger's roots: Morgan has been a hair stylist for 38 years. She worked on and off at her aunt's salon, Cleo's Beauty Shop on North Florida Avenue. She also ran two different salons of her own, North Park Beauty and Hair Repair, before opening Ginger Snips in 1990. Married for 31 years, she has two daughters, ages 43 and 30, and three grandchildren.

What's new is old: “I've been in this business so long, (hair styles) just tend to repeat themselves. They think they have something brand new, but typically it's just a little tweaked from what we used to do.” As for what's popular now, Morgan mentioned the “Really layered, razored-out look,” and the “hombre” look, a coloring style that features darker roots and lighter ends. Also, “Perming is pretty much gone,” said Morgan.