Ottawa's First Hair Location to offer
gender neutral pricing
-This Campaign LAUNCHED in April of 2012-
Advertisement from 2012
"Opening a small business is scary enough and there are already plenty of way to fail in your first year or two. But I based my business on principles and beliefs, and taking price cuts (in the hair industry this act is considering cutting prices) was just the right thing to do" - Cris Mac.
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Since opening our doors there have been a handful of experiences that have needed a platform, but we have passed for the time being. This is one, however. deserves some attention today. It is a conversation worth having and it has hit below the belt so-to-speak for The Capelli Club. So here it is!
Who remembers The Capelli Club team and family members walking through neighbourhoods and campaigning this slogan "Who Should Pay More?" Month after month, season after season. In April 12, 2012 canvassing began (see photo), even though their location was still in the midst of construction! The Capelli Club founder and owner, though always a female with longer hairstyles, was passionate about gender fair pricing and consultation price quote guarantees. It was her solid foundation and ethical stance on many issues within the fashion and beauty industry that won the funding required to get The Capelli Club off paper as just an idea and transform it into a 1400 sq/ft studio location within Ottawa's hintonburg/Wellington west community. Recently, more than one client shared a CTV News piece that highlighted a local salon and their "plans to change" their prices in order to be gender neutral (or just plain fair as we've been saying). Although this is encouraging, the conversation is happening and growing; it is also disheartening to a young female entrepreneur who opened her doors at 27, not a stylist herself, and who put in the hard work and willingness to cut potential revenues for a principle/a belief, but who now isn't gaining recognition. Rather the recognition has been passed on to people who are "considering" the change. The Capelli Club founder simply had a dream of a safe, fair and happy place to work that kept artistic expression and integrity at the forefront; For the staff, the clients and for herself too. |
Thank you for your continued support
As many of you know, the owner and founder of THE CAPELLI CLUB Beauty & Design Studio is a multi-medium artist specializing in fashion, makeup artistry and fine art. Cris Mac won entrepreneurial awards and loans which allowed her to open a location to facilitate not only herself as an artist, but other eager entrepreneurial talent within the Ottawa Area, The vision was award winning, but the real-life journey took her in a variety of directions she didn't quite foresee.
Cris rolled with the punches and focused all her time and energy on employees and their skills rather than her own, even rented out space to other business owners in order to keep afloat. With the support of her investor, Amy Pucci, Cris has moved closer to her goal each year.
"It was a hard first couple years, but unlike many art based businesses within our area, I try to remind myself "we are still here!" Sometimes I want to broadcast all the disheartening things that have happened to us, follow in the footsteps of some and post ambiguous passive aggressive posts to the public; but I've always chosen having class over being right. I've tired not to put all my energy towards those draining an hurtful aspects of the business, it is extremely difficult. Most days you want to cry, but instead you pickup and carry on. Clients see you smile and keep going, because we have to. They say you have to have a 'Thick skin' in business. I have often stopped an thought about this deeply. Thick skin? This is something I will be discussing in depth with fellow entrepreneurs and those who hope to become an entrepreneur.
Throughout our trials, I made it my endeavor to find contentment with an single art event, one simple fashion project and someone even just one painted canvas per year. That is why I'm here. I can't let anyone stop that. The moment they stop me from working towards my business plan and my art, they have won."
Cris is devoted to helping other female entrepreneurs and she will be sharing all of her experiences as well as the documents and paperwork she has collected, in a manner that will educate and inspire others who hope to follow in a similar path; hopefully her tutorials and real life experiences will help others avoid disheartening, time consuming and toxic events so they can prosper.
Cris rolled with the punches and focused all her time and energy on employees and their skills rather than her own, even rented out space to other business owners in order to keep afloat. With the support of her investor, Amy Pucci, Cris has moved closer to her goal each year.
"It was a hard first couple years, but unlike many art based businesses within our area, I try to remind myself "we are still here!" Sometimes I want to broadcast all the disheartening things that have happened to us, follow in the footsteps of some and post ambiguous passive aggressive posts to the public; but I've always chosen having class over being right. I've tired not to put all my energy towards those draining an hurtful aspects of the business, it is extremely difficult. Most days you want to cry, but instead you pickup and carry on. Clients see you smile and keep going, because we have to. They say you have to have a 'Thick skin' in business. I have often stopped an thought about this deeply. Thick skin? This is something I will be discussing in depth with fellow entrepreneurs and those who hope to become an entrepreneur.
Throughout our trials, I made it my endeavor to find contentment with an single art event, one simple fashion project and someone even just one painted canvas per year. That is why I'm here. I can't let anyone stop that. The moment they stop me from working towards my business plan and my art, they have won."
Cris is devoted to helping other female entrepreneurs and she will be sharing all of her experiences as well as the documents and paperwork she has collected, in a manner that will educate and inspire others who hope to follow in a similar path; hopefully her tutorials and real life experiences will help others avoid disheartening, time consuming and toxic events so they can prosper.
