“I’m truly here to love on people,” said Jarvis, who moved her Hue Mane Salon from Hamilton’s west side to Lindenwald earlier this year. “When people leave me, or they leave the salon, I want them to feel nothing more than to feel validated, for them to feel seen, for them to feel uplifted, for them to feel a little less heavy, for them to feel a little less alone. This world is really, really hard.”
Leaning in on her social work experience, Jarvis wants to help children and their parents, which is why she started the “Pay What You Can” back-to-school hair cutting event (even if it’s nothing).
“Everything is going up,” she said. “This is something small that I can do to make a direct impact in the community that’s positive for families. And, it gives kids more confidence to go back to school, to level the playing field for them before they start.”
Jarvis, a domestic violence survivor and a one-time homeless teenage single mom, said it took a village to help raise her in Lindenwald. Now, she wants to pay it back or forward. That’s a big reason why her salon is designated as a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community.
“There are families that are considered to be the ‘working poor’ who don’t qualify for a lot of services, but they’re out here working,” she said. “Especially right now, the economy is just so difficult for people, for everyone, including those working families with two incomes. That’s still not enough.”
Hue Mane and others in the cosmetology field, such as barbershops, can be considered one of the hearts in a community, said David Smith, owner of Perfectly Blended next to Sweden Creme on Pleasant Avenue in Lindenwald.
“I like how open she is with her shop,” said Smith, who volunteered his time on Aug. 10 to provide haircuts to kids returning to school. “The all-inclusiveness, not making anybody feel out of place. It’s cool and brave of her to do that, which says a lot about her character.”
Credit: Michael D. Pitman
Credit: Michael D. Pitman
Credit: Michael D. Pitman
Credit: Michael D. Pitman
Seeing what Jarvis is doing with her shop, being a welcoming place for all people is inspirational, Smith said.
“In our line of work, we’re the heart of the community, in a way,” he said. “This is really the only true place where you get people of different economic levels, from different backgrounds, that get to sit down and talk. It’s not just some text message or Facebook post. You’re opening yourself to all inclusiveness, and I think that’s huge, to get the people to know people. If we can realize how similar we are to each other, the better this world would be.”
Jarvis opened her relocated shop across the Shuler & Benninghofen redevelopment project once she saw Hamilton’s plans for the Lindenwald area, which include a rainbow crosswalk near her front door.
A year ago, she signed a five-year lease on a property that was once a pharmacy. Jarvis took a risk by leaving her Main Street location for an area of Lindenwald in need of revitalization.
“It’s not always easy. Do the things that are important to you. It may be hard, but the reward will be great if you trust yourself. I feel I’m pretty much proof of that,” she said.
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