Any parent who has ever brought their child to a barber or salon for a haircut knows it can be an intimidating experience for some children, especially their first visit.
Cutting scissor sounds beyond the line of sight, the buzzing blades from clippers, loud hairdryers and strong smells are just some of the things children might not be ready for when making early visits to a barber or salon.
For some kids, there are added sensory concerns that go beyond sound or smell, with some children requiring special focus for certain forms of tactile sensitivity, (relating to touch and feel) including the stylist or barber’s hands on the scalp, shoulders, neck, and ears.
Parents can feel that anxiety too, knowing the trip could lead to fear and all kinds of difficulty for their kids.
Having a child-friendly service specializing in haircare that’s also an overall kid-friendly experience is something entrepreneur Alex Weaver Crawford felt was missing in Saint John.
Born and raised in Calgary, Weaver Crawford says she had a good experience taking her young daughter to another children’s only hair salon, Beaners Fun Cuts for Kids, a company that’s been around since 1987 in Alberta.
“When we moved to Saint John six years ago, there wasn’t anything,” says Weaver Crawford. “It was kind of like, ‘Where do we take her?’ and we had kind of hard experiences from taking her to other places. She was scared of the noises or the smells – and you know this if you have kids – it’s just strangers in an environment that’s essentially designed for adults, and we had a bad experience.”
Knowing a more kid-friendly experience existed elsewhere, Weaver Crawford began to fully embrace the idea after visiting her husband’s native Australia, which had a similar salon concept directed at serving children.
An idea born from personal experience
Being a mom was really the only prerequisite for Weaver Crawford to get her business idea for Bubbles Haircare for Kids moving, admitting that haircare isn’t at all a part of her professional career.
Weaver Crawford makes a living as a multi-disciplinary designer and strategic consultant with a background in marketing and architecture. Most of her work revolves around creating marketing and design strategies for clients.
Perhaps Weaver Crawford’s only attachment to the haircare trade is that she values the self-confidence behind looking good and feeling great. With Bubbles Haircare for Kids, she hopes to give children the same kind of feeling and experience from a young age.
“I think it’s important for kids,” says Weaver Crawford.
She says she won’t be cutting or styling any hair herself, but she intends to hire the best in not only hairstyling but also at connecting with younger customers.
Earlier this month, Bubbles Haircare for Kids put out its first hiring notice for interested licensed hairstylists to become part of its opening location already in development.
“We’re looking for people interested in working with kids and interested in the kind of the concept of creating a great experience for kids,” says Weaver Crawford.
Alex Weaver Crawford plans to open Bubbles Haircare for Kids in the Saint John area later this year. Image: submitted.
She’s currently been looking to hire a lead full-time and part-time stylist for a location yet to be determined, with plans to open sometime later this summer or early fall.
“We’re down to the final stages of selecting between two locations. One of them is uptown, the other one is in the valley,” says Weaver Crawford, “We are just kind of finalizing what’s going to work best for us.”
A sensory friendly alternative for families
Weaver Crawford says Bubbles Haircare for Kids also plans to offer sensory-friendly hours for families of children with special needs, something she understands will become an important part of her business.
“It’s the thing that I’ve thought about from the start of our business plan and something we’ll be training for and have ongoing training for our staff as well,” says Weaver Crawford, who says there’s already been consultation with different groups of parents who have kids with special needs.
Above all, she’s been thankful for the level of cooperation she’s received from the Saint John business community.
“The support and the amount of people that I’ve met here to help me with my journey has been extremely helpful,” says Weaver Crawford, who’s been working with ConnexionWorks to help validate the business.
“That’s something that has been really helpful in terms of the public. If people have questions, I’d love to hear from them,” says Weaver Crawford. “My feedback is really going to help me be able to finalize the shape of what this business will look like.”
Tyler Mclean is a reporter with Huddle, an Acadia Broadcasting content partner.
