Meet the Owners of a Local Hair Salon

Toni Matthey and Emily Smith opened Trinity Salon and Spa a little less than a year ago on Oct. 12, 2010. Located at 138D W. Athens St. in Winder, the salon offers a variety of services including haircuts, highlights, extensions, waxing and facials.

Patch: How did you get into your line of work?

Toni Matthey: Honestly, I didn't know what I was going to do with myself. I'm an artist, I like to draw and paint but I didn't see how I was going to make a living doing that. One day I walked into Don Shaw at Gwinnett Place Mall. I really liked the atmosphere of the salon and I've always been someone who likes to give makeovers, so I thought I would try it out. I started as an assistant there and decided I wanted to go to school. School didn't work out but I became an apprentice and took my state board and now here I am.

Emily Smith: I was Toni's client and I was always kind of curious about styling. I had to do something so I went to school for it. I got in and I liked it to the point where we now have a business together.

Patch: What is the best aspect of owning the salon?

TM: I get to finally take my ideas and all of my good experiences and bring them all together. It's good experience and a great environment for others to work in and grow professionally. I'm really big on education and I like teaching, so being able to help other people is great.

ES: I've learned so much from Toni. Being young and trying to go at this full force is hard, but I love it.

Patch: What is the most challenging aspect of owning the salon?

TM: I'm a control freak, so not being in control. That touches on a bunch of different aspects of the business but you can't control the people around you, so that's the hard part for me.

ES: This is a 24/7 thing. It never ends. No matter what's going on in my life this business takes priority.

Patch: What are some of your hobbies outside of work?

TM: My family tends to be my hobby when I'm not at work but I love to read and I'm a huge movie buff.

ES: When I'm not at work I just want to relax. I just turned 21, so when I'm not at work I just want to hang out with family and friends.

Patch: What is your personal business philosophy?

TM and ES: To serve our customers with a spirit of excellence. We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them. The person sitting in our chair is what's important and we want them to feel good about themselves. That's a very powerful thing. You don't know what someone is going through when they sit down in that chair. People say that we're really good listeners and it's all about that link between you and the person sitting in your chair.

Patch: Tell me about the first haircut you gave.

TM: I gave my first haircut to my husband and it probably looked pretty bad. Because I am such a hands-on person, even before I started training I was doing hair. Once I knew that was what I wanted to do I was doing it.

ES: My first haircut was when I was in school. I remember being very nervous, in fact, I was so scared. I wanted it to be easy and thankfully it was. I barely had to cut anything off it was just a mini trim.

Trinity Salon and Spa is open Tuesday through Saturday, but does not have set hours Tuesday through Thursday. The salon is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday