By Ashley McCarty
People’s Defender
Two sisters from Manchester, Ohio, are making their dreams come true by opening their own business.
Owners Taylor and Tera Himes have opened their new salon, Shear Sisters, at 32 West Second Street in Manchester, Ohio.
Their synchronous journey into the beauty industry began a few years ago as the sisters fell on both comical and unlikely circumstances.
“To be honest, Taylor and I decided we were going to go to hair school because Taylor disliked college, and my FAFSA screwed up last minute. I was going to go to Shawnee State University to be a veterinary technician. Well, my parents’ identity got stolen, so the FAFSA wouldn’t work. So, I decided to go to hair school with Taylor. That was it,” said Tera Himes, laughing.
In 2016, they began attending Paul Mitchell in Sharonville, Ohio. They graduated on Dec. 13, 2017.
“Satrista Myrick was interested in us and reached out to us before we graduated to ask if we wanted to join her at Hair Thyme. After school one day, we went to Hair Thyme and met with her. We decided we were going to join her salon after graduation,” said Tera Himes.
In February of 2020, the sisters were approached with an opportunity they couldn’t refuse.
“Taylor and I had talked about wanting to branch out on our own, but we really decided to move forward with that plan after Debbie and Tony Hunt reaching out to us. They said they were moving to another building, and they asked if we would like to put a salon in. We talked with them and discussed all of the logistics; it was a done deal after that,” said Tera Himes.
They left Hair Thyme in May 2020 with high hopes and aspirations of completing their new salon by that December. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic had other plans.
“We were so stressed. I wanted to cry. It was one step forward and 80 steps back every time between workers, inspections, getting materials. It was a literal nightmare,” said Tera. Even getting people to show up was a chore, added Taylor Himes.
By October of 2020, with no end to their venture in immediate sight, they temporarily joined Jessica Arnold at C and J Hair Studio in West Union, Ohio. While at C and J Hair Studio, the renovations, while sluggish, continued.
“We gutted the building. We put in new flooring, new walls, all new plumbing, doors,” explained Tera. The building was slowly but surely rebuilt from the ground up into an establishment the girls could be proud of.
After a nearly two-year journey of blood, sweat and tears, the grand opening of Shear Sisters was held on Sunday, Oct. 3.
“It feels surreal. We’re experiencing such a whirlwind of emotions. I’m happy, I’m excited and honestly a bit nervous,” said Tera Himes.
Hours of operation for Shear Sisters are Monday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. These hours will vary as clientele are accommodated.
“We want to invite our past clientele and new clientele to come and visit. We’ll make you great,” said Tera Himes.
Stay tuned on Facebook for the upcoming Shear Sisters Facebook page.