Meet Savanah DeCourcey

Today we’d like to introduce you to Savanah DeCourcey.

Hi Savanah, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. My journey into starting my career as a stylist was not something I had always planned on or dreamed of; although I was very much involved in the salon world my entire life. My mom was a stylist as well and I grew up seeing her behind the chair, owning and running her own salon, teaching in beauty schools, and of course teaching my sister and I how to manage our mixed race texture of hair was an every day in-house lesson.

After graduating high school with many opportunities to go to university or otherwise “traditional” college, I knew I was not going to be happy doing what I thought I was “supposed” to do. I went to beauty school with the mindset of “why not?” and really did not expect to end up being so fulfilled by what I wasn’t even sure would pan out to be a stable career.

I graduated from Phagan’s Beauty College in Portland and within the first year and a half of being licensed, I was managing a barbershop. I spent the first five of my career specializing in barbering and learning that I really enjoyed cutting hair, something I wasn’t confident in a while in school. I felt proud of where I was at but did not enjoy the overhead that came with management and I felt myself losing my passion.

I felt the need to get out of my hometown and decided Denver was a good alternative to 10 months of rain and grey skies a year. It was essentially on a whim; my fiance and I had no connections whatsoever here but decided to take a chance. We are so happy that we did!

Since moving here, I have worked very hard to build a business that I am incredibly proud of. Moving to a new city where no one knows your name is quite the challenge in my industry; I essentially had to start over from zero. I worked the first five months every single day, multiple jobs, sometimes 16 hours or more just trying to get my name out there. I decided to start practicing women’s hair again and embracing all aspects of what I originally sought out to do in school. I can honestly say moving to Denver was the best decision I have ever made in my career.

I’ve got a great team at Razors that I have to thank for helping me gain the confidence to go into business for myself. I might not have had the clientele I needed to do so at the time but in the 4 years I have been with Razors I have been blessed to run Sav Fresh Cuts out of one of the most positive and encouraging spaces I have seen in the salon world. I truly could not feel more at home than I do here.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Nothing in life is easy and I wouldn’t say my path has been either. Moving to a city where you’re a thousand miles away from everything you’ve known your entire life is hard. Trying to make friends and build a career in that same setting is even harder. Having a pandemic hit and shut your business down as soon as you start building momentum? SUCKS. But I’ve got a great support system around me and I am humbled by many other stories of those who have had it so, SO much harder. I remember to be grateful for my struggles, however big or small.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a stylist, barber, and esthetician. I’m proud of everything that I do although there is always room to grow. The beauty industry is CONSTANTLY evolving and changing and I really love the challenge of having to do the same myself.

I would consider myself a barbering/short hair specialist. While I am really excited to be expanding my skill set in women’s color and balayage, I am really wanting to take on more edgy cuts and colors. (i.e., mullets, blunt edge, sharp layers, vivid colors, nontraditional styles in general).

I would say the biggest thing that sets me apart is that while I try to remain professional, I prefer to treat my clients as friends. I enjoy a laid-back, filter-free vibe with clients and want every person that sits in my chair to feel comfortable and free to be themselves in whatever regard that may mean for them. Sitting in the salon is not just about getting your hair done. Are you excited about a new work opportunity? Do you need to cry and vent but have no one else to do so with? Do you need to take a nap and have some peace in your day? Do you wanna show me 300 pictures of your dog? I’m here for it all as long as it’s YOU.

How do you think about happiness?
I love seeing other people happy. It’s hard not to celebrate with someone even if we are just celebrating a smile or a good mood.

I find there is so much to be happy about in life but we are forced to consume so much negativity. It is also a lot easier to focus on the bad rather than the good and because of that I have always tried to find a reason to make myself or others laugh. I’m always laughing at myself whether or not anyone else thinks I’m funny!

Pricing:

• Short haircut – 40$ and up
• Long haircut – 50$ and up
• Basic color – 70$ and up
• Balayage – 150$ and up
• Waxing – 10$ and up

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/savfreshcuts/