Today we’d like to introduce you to Tori Peck.
Tori, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’m a San Diego native, born and raised in Encinitas and hope to never leave. My mom was a hairdresser before having kids, and it just so happens that my younger sister and I continued in the beauty industry as well.
I went to beauty school in 2016 at Bellus Academy in Poway, graduated in 2017 with a very, very small handful of clients that I took out of my house for about 6 months.
I then went on to work for a large, successful salon in Encinitas once I realized I was growing quickly and didn’t want to take new clients out of the house. For about 2 years, I assisted part time and continued to build my own books before opening my own studio, Salon West, with my partner (Baylee Macouzet) in January of 2020. I had a total list of 84 clients when I left my stable salon job, and now have currently over 250 clients.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
For the most part, it’s been smooth. I think every road has its bumps and obstacles. I actually failed my practical state board exam the first time I took it in 2017, which prolonged the process of getting a job at an actual salon. The biggest bummer about not passing is that it has absolutely nothing to do with my talent as an artist, it’s only about following instructions.
And then of course Covid has been quite the obstacle. We opened Salon West on January 3rd of 2020 and got about 10 weeks of work in before the first out of three shutdowns. We barely got to work half of the year. A global pandemic definitely was not an obstacle that we even remotely thought about when opening the salon. Having to spend money on PPE, wear a mask for 10-12 hours a day, check temperatures, be vigilant even more so than we already are about disinfecting every surface has definitely been tiring, but we are all in this together and our clients have been so gracious with us.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I specialize in color, mostly highlighting services like balayage but I also love to cut. Everyone wants to be blonde in SD! I think what sets me apart from other artists is that about 50% of my clientele is either Hispanic/Latinx or Asian American/Pacific Islanders and I would say another 30% has very dark hair naturally and almost all of them want to be blonde. Anyone in my industry knows the challenges that come with taking someone who has naturally dark, thick hair to a flattering lighter shade. I spend a lot of time with those clients ensuring their hair stays healthy as well. I think what I’m most proud of brand wise is that I really take my time to make my clients feel heard when they are with me, whether its about hair or not; we have more than just small talk when we are together.
My partner and I have done extensive research into our product line that we use and retail as well. It’s called Keune, made in Amsterdam. It’s one of the most earth conscious, “cleanest” brands we’ve found that actually delivers excellently and doesn’t cost our clients an arm and a leg. They are completely CO2 neutral, the manufacturing plant doesn’t send any residual waste to landfills, they never test on animals, and are very philanthropic as a company as well. Our industry tends to waste a lot so we put a lot of thought into anything we purchase for the salon. I am very passionate about living sustainably inside and outside of the salon.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
I am really hoping to see cleaner options in my industry in the next few years. There’s a huge gap in the beauty industry when it comes to non-toxic beauty. I see a lot of really popular stylists converting to fragrance-free and ammonia-free color. Artists are starting to value things like reusable and recyclable packaging. I think that trend will continue as products advance over time.
Contact Info:
- Email: salonwest.tori@gmail.com
- Website: salonwesttori.glossgenius.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/hairbytoripeck
- Yelp: www.yelp.com/biz/salon-west-solana-beach
Image Credits
Alyssa Brooke Photo
Suggest a Story: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
