Life and Work with Sarah Whiting/Simon

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Whiting/Simon.

Sarah, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I started beauty school in high school because I needed a way to pay for college. My dad died at a pretty young age and my mom couldn’t keep up with the bills so we end up losing our house when I turned 18. Had random jobs as soon as I could. I worked three jobs in high school; a book store, country club, and massage studio. I knew my mom couldn’t afford college for me, I didn’t expect her to pay my way and I didn’t want to take out student loans, so I decided to go through the cosmo program that Jeffco offered my senior year of high school so I had a good job and could pay my way through college. I got my associates degree and was studying fine arts in college when I decided I just wanted to do hair full time. I was working at the top 3 best Paul Mitchell salons in the world at the time and I had started there as an assistant when I was 19 years old. I worked my way up in that salon and had assistants of my own for several years. I decided to make the plunge and do my own thing after being at this salon for 9.5 years and killed it my first year of doing hair. I met celebrity hairdresser Ted Gibson and did 16 runway shows at NYFW with him and his team. I hired a celebrity hairdressing coach for a little while and spent a lot of time working in my small little studio but started to feel lonely. I wanted to work with a team but not a big team so I tried out for Ted Gibson’s artistic team but then they end up dismantling it but kept strong in my relationship with them. I still wanted to create a team and have a small little boutique salon so that I when I met my now business partner who helped me open up my salon Merlan. Merlan is my last name in french and sounds high-end/boutique-y. I didn’t want to work in a 60 stylist salon again but I wanted to have a few badass hairdressers. My salon is homely, welcoming and we only have the best stylists that work there because I want a salon of excellence. My new business partner also introduced CBD–the non-psychoactive compound of cannabis that has been shown to help with a ton of various ailments, including thinning hair. We now sell all kinds of CBD for all kinds of things: pain, stress, anxiety, sleep–we even have an adult line with lube and a “tantric tincture.”

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
When I decided to take a leap of faith and pursue my dreams, I got a couple of people who didn’t have faith in me but I knew I could do it. We had a lot of contractors that went MIA. Take your time researching general contractors because they have the tendency to flake out. Don’t let other people bring you down. Start your days with a pep in your step and expect hardship because it’s going to happen. Things worthwhile are never easy… I know cliche but it’s totally true. If you don’t know how to do something, find the people that do know how to do it and have them teach you what they know. Take a step back and realize holy shit, you created this. YOU did it. Be excited that you are different, you take risks and you make your way out of the struggles. Surround yourself with people who you trust and who make you better because you are going to realize that people try and take advantage of young girls. Remember you are strong and trust your gut.

Please tell us about Merlan CBD Boutique and Salon.
I am a hairstylist and a barber. I do pretty much everything with hair. I customize looks to make my clients look and feel their best. I love being the person that people look forward to seeing and I love making them feel better when they leave. Aside from being a salon housing only the best stylists, what REALLY sets us apart is our knowledge in CBD and those various products we carry, as well as the use of those products in treatment.

Were there people and/or experiences you had in your childhood that you feel laid the foundation for your success?
Absolutely. I grew up with a mom that barely spoke English and a dad who worked all the time. My mom was definitely a tiger mom, she made sure we were okay, I never knew we were struggling financially but she was always pushing me to do better and be better but she didn’t really know how to communicate that with me. She would always tell me to work now and play later and I laugh about that now because she taught me how to work hard! When my dad died, I knew it was up to me to earn, consistently learn and take care of myself.

Contact Info:

• Address: 5757 S. Rapp St.
  Littleton, CO 80120
• Website: Merlansbs.com
• Phone: 7203794509
• Email: sarahsimonstyles@gmail.com
• Instagram: sarahsimonstyles and merlansbs
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/merlansbs

Image Credit:
Sarah Simon and Josh Whitaker

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