Agapē Organic Salon & Spa

a.ga.pē

/(ä-gä′pā)/ noun (Greek)

The highest form of love and charity embracing a universal, unconditional love that transcends and persists regardless of circumstance.

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Kathleen Stanley, owner of Agapē. Agapē is a clean-air salon + spa offering the purest beauty products available.

Agapē’s mission to create a green, sustainable, organic salon is upheld by their offering the world’s first luxury organic hair + skin care products.

OWAY, short for Organic Way, starts on an organic farm in Bologna, Italy. Harvested without the use of heavy machinery, OWAY products maintain their purity + are picked at their prime bringing ingredients that are packed with powerful minerals + antioxidants.

Evo Oxygenating Gel is a non-toxic gel polish that has been designed from the base up, to provide the best combination of performance + safety. Its long chain length polyurethane backbone was selected specifically to provide the flexibility + toughness necessary for product performance as well as to maximize water vapor, vitamin + oxygen permeability. With its medical Grade formulation infused with Vitamin A + E + its damage-free removal, the health of your nail is top priority. Its also the ONLY nail polish system with a 5-star safety rating.

Agapē chooses ILIA BEAUTY for makeup because they believe in skin that looks like skin—and radiance that comes naturally. With transparency as their guide and color as their vehicle, they challenge the conventions of clean beauty to create something radically new, through safe, potent formulas that protect and revive your skin.

Getting to know Kathleen Stanley and the history of Agapē:

the interview

When was Agapē Organic Salon & Spa founded?

Agape started in a small, single stylist suite in October of 2018. In October 2019 we opened “Agape 2.0” in Broadview Heights.

Where did you get the idea for Agapē Organic Salon & Spa?

I felt stuck in salons that were overly competitive and non-supportive. I constantly felt I couldn’t relax and be myself and the high-pressure industry really messed with my mental health. I remember one of my previous bosses had asked me to make sure I was dressing well and dressing up daily, but after a few months asked why I thought work had to be a fashion show every day. Another time she had seen a photo of one of my paintings and asked if I’d ever thought about giving up my hair career to paint instead. It was just demotivating and completely stifled my creativity as a stylist. I wanted the chance to offer something different to stylists. I wanted conversations with clients to not be so superficial and stylists to feel comfortable enough to voice their thoughts.

What led you to, or inspired the name ‘Agapē’?

Agapē means love. It’s the purest type of love and charity that transcends and persists, regardless of circumstance. Although it’s impossible to offer this type of love, it’s my job, as a Christian to try! Love is the cornerstone of why we opened agapē and it’s a constant reminder of the podiums we have as stylists.

What is your background, professionally or personally, that led you to found Agapē ?

I’ve been in the hair industry for 15 years but am also a licensed counselor. agapē was a way to mesh the two professions together.

What has your journey been like to get to where you are today?

The journey to today has not been easy. From the leap of faith it took to try something new to the imposter syndrome that comes while doing it can be enough to give up. Over the past 2 years we’ve been through the COVID shutdown, staffing issues, refining services and products, nasty emails addressing our name… even legal battles! Our tribe at Agapē is why we’re still here. I work with a team of women who are incredibly supportive.

What sets you apart from other salons in the Cleveland area?

I think people can see our intention of purity. Our products, of course, are as pure as they can be but also our guests can feel the difference as soon as they walk in. We really are warm and welcoming and we really do care. Our salon focuses a lot on continuing education and making sure we are ahead of the trend. When we recognize our staff needs more training in an area, we stop what we’re doing and train!

How do you generate new ideas?

I am constantly thinking of creative ways to make things better. I have lists upon lists of ideas that pertain to new services, training techniques, games that can be used as incentives to stylists, trips we can take to build our team, marketing ideas, plans of community outreach, etc. When an idea pops up I write it down and when the time is right I dive in and don’t stop until it’s complete!

How do you define success?

I love this question. I tell the girls all the time that it’s not my goal to get rich. I’ve made it my personal goal to help THEM achieve their goals- whatever those goals may be. If I see them hitting their goals, I’m successful.

Do you believe there is some sort of pattern or formula to becoming a successful entrepreneur?

I think entrepreneurs are born with the exceptional ability to follow through with their dreams and wishes. Their vision of success outweighs their fear of failure. We are truthfully an odd breed and are fueled by our creativity. We are risk-takers and are able to gently lead others to success.

What is your favorite aspect of being an entrepreneur?

Before we started the build out phase, I remember getting the vision of me standing in the street looking in through the windows of agapē . I saw a happy team of stylists, guests who were excited to be there, white walls that mimicked an empty canvas and an airy vibe that could be felt. It was like watching a painting come alive. Now that the vision is actually coming alive, it’s the very best feeling I’ve ever had. To know that this vision was given to me and somehow I actually got it to work!

What has been your most satisfying moment in business?

Watching the reactions from guests from the moment they walk in to the moment they leave and then hearing their personal reviews. Even when we get poor reviews or less-than-stellar feedback it excites me as I look at it in a way to refine.