Today we’d like to introduce you to Marie Green.
Marie, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I always wanted to be a flight attendant and live in sunny California – big dreams for a girl from St. Paul, Minnesota! I flew for ten years but ended my career in the friendly skies when I married the love of my life, Dennis Green. We had two kids within two years and survived in the frozen tundra until Dennis retired from the Minnesota Vikings. Then, I finally achieved the second part of my dream – to live in Southern California. We moved to San Diego and all except for a three-year stint with the Arizona Cardinals, have been here in San Diego ever since.
Once my husband retired, it was time for me to do restart my career. I became the Director of Training for The RealReal, a luxury consignment website. The RealReal is an amazing company that changed the way consumers buy and sell pre-owned designer goods. It was exciting to be part of a startup that turned into a $500 million dollar company! I was then offered an incredible opportunity by Randi Wax to become an operating partner for the Drybar in Del Mar. Randi opened the franchise in 2011 and after four years was looking to expand. Together, we opened Drybar La Jolla last June. It is our greatest honor to help women look their best and hopefully make bad hair days a thing of the past.
Has it been a smooth road?
With any startup, such as The RealReal, the challenge is the constant changing of policies and procedures due to unexpected circumstances. Things happen that you couldn’t have possibly thought of! During this period of time, I learned to expect change and be ready to adapt. The better you are at adapting to change, the easier your life will be!
Nine months after becoming an operating partner for Drybar, my husband of 20 years passed away. It was completely and utterly devastating. Five days after the funeral, I was back in the shop. My work has helped me get through the grief. We have a thriving business with 80 employees that keeps me very busy! Over one thousand women per week depend on Drybar Del Mar and Drybar La Jolla to make them look and feel beautiful.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Drybar La Jolla – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
With The RealReal, the best part was helping clients find money in their own closets. I’ve always loved fashion, so being in people’s closets and helping them decide which designer goods to sell was not even work! Sometimes, I would tell clients not to part with their items – to wait and really make sure.
I think it made them feel good to know I had their best interest at heart. To sell items on The RealReal, they need to be clean and in nearly perfect condition, so many times I would find myself cleaning and repairing clients’ things – it was part of providing the best service I could for my clients.
At Drybar, we do our best to ensure our clients have the most fabulous experience possible. The goal, of course, is to make our clients’ hair look it’s best, but we really want them to have a remarkable experience in our shops and look forward to their next visit.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
Two of the best things about San Diego are the nice people and the lovely weather. It’s wonderful being close to the ocean! My least favorite thing about our city is the traffic.
Contact Info:
- Address: 8867 Villa La Jolla Drive #608 La Jolla, CA 92037 (Drybar La Jolla)
12857 El Camino Real #N5 San Diego, CA 92130 (Drybar Del Mar) - Website: thedrybar.com
- Phone: 858.703.4008
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