Positive attitude helps V.I.P. Hair & Nail Salon owner Tiffany Wilson gain altitude

Positive attitude helps V.I.P

Positive attitude helps V.I.P. Hair & Nail Salon owner Tiffany Wilson gain altitude

Positive attitude helps V.I.P. owner gain altitude

by Dwight Hobbes

Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder

Originally posted 7/7/2010

V.I.P. Hair & Nail Salon has been in its current downtown Minneapolis location at 1154 Hennepin Avenue for 10 years. Previously, it operated a block or so away on Nicollet Avenue for seven years. Through good economic times and bad, it's been a fixture, a thriving concern where women happily wait weeks for an opening.

Tiffany Wilson, V.I.P. owner and stylist, notes, "We've had days when it's not as busy as before [the recession], but for the most part business is consistent."

How has this entrepreneur weathered the financial storm that has scuttled countless other businesses? She stays abreast of developments in the trade and keeps in mind that attracting and keeping customers "is about how you treat people." Wilson conveys to her staff the importance "giving folks a reason to want to come back."

It's said that attitude, more than aptitude, decides one's altitude. Wilson may as well have that in her employees' handbook the shop's general demeanor is consistently one of pleasant professionalism.

"I always share with the staff that when people come [in], you don't know what news they've received that day. So, make certain you're sensitive to where people are at. It could be something that you say. Just [having] a positive disposition is key."

Accordingly, V.I.P. could just as well stand for Very Important Patrons. You can put that together with her pointed observation, "Black women are going to get their hair done. We're going to take care of our [appearance]." And V.I.P. is going to be there as a welcoming place to do it.

By the way, men also patronize the establishment. And there is no "Africans and African Americans Only" sign in the window. It's simply a place where birds of feather flock together to, as it were, get their cute on.

Slight and svelte with classic cover-girl looks and a warm smile, Tiffany

Wilson's easily recognizable as the face of the establishment her chair is the one you see as soon as you set foot in the door on your way to the receptionist's desk. It's a classy place, handsomely and comfortably decked out (even the lavatory, complete with artwork, as inviting as a living room).

Success did not just drop in Wilson's lap. "I started at Shear Design, in high school, as a receptionist, [and] then went to cosmetology school. I was a skin specialist. My Uncle Patrick encouraged me to go back to school and get my license as a cosmetologist. My focus was skin care and nails." August marks 21 years she's been in the business.

Wilson realizes she's in the minority these days by substantially holding her head above the financial waters. "I know a number of people who are dealing with the loss of jobs. It's important to pull together and help one another out, you know? Everyone is struggling on some level."

The Great Recession doesn't dictate her actions but does give her pause, and Wilson sensibly safeguards her resources. "It forces me to think about how I spend money, where I spend, and what would help make life easier for the next person.

"Ultimately, we all are responsible for this mess we're in, over-spending, buying homes we knew we couldn't afford. It's our responsibility to grab the bull by the horns and let's all work together and fix it. It's not one person's responsibility."

That, she adds, includes President Barack Obama. "He is brilliant, and he inherited a mess we allowed to happen for eight years. People expect him to create miracles. Once again, it's our responsibility to help make a difference. I don't care [how much money] you have. We've got to stop being so self-centered.

"[Obama] is doing a fantastic job. I wish people would leave him alone. Thank God he has the temperament to handle all this foolishness. I don't know if I could be Michelle or Barack and stand back and watch people talk about him the way they're doing and treat him the way they are."

Born and raised in Minneapolis, Wilson is single, loves children, and reflects, "One day I may have kids." Meanwhile, her hands are already full. When she doesn't have her shoulder to the wheel operating Minneapolis' premier Black hair care venue, she's busy working out at the gym between five and six days a week, about an hour to an hour and a half at a clip. "It's a great stress reliever."

Returning to the economy, Tiffany Wilson shares her basic take and reflects on the general consensus that customers share as they pass the time of day during beauty treatments. "We discuss the recession, how it's affected our lives.

People are making the best of it. And the blessing in all of this is that people do see change.

"In spite of all the negative things we're hearing in the media, we have hope. It may not be changing quick enough, but that's part of life. This is not the first time we've had a recession, and it won't be the last. We find ways to work through it. And with a healthy attitude, you make it."

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