Left Hand Valley Courier - All Local, All The Time

Hans Kissner opened Cutter’s Edge Hair Salon in Gunbarrel more than 30 years ago. Over the years he developed a stellar reputation as both a business owner and a stylist. So it was no accident that he assembled a solid team of professional stylists.

After having gradually stepped back from the salon’s day-to-day operations for several years, Kissner and his wife Murielle decided to formally offer the salon’s core team of long-time employees the reigns.

In February 2018, Mary Romero, Sarah Benson, and Heather Yahnke became co-owners of the salon. Romero has been at the salon for nearly 20 years, Benson for 17 years, and Yahnke for almost 14 years. Stylist Melissa Sleath, an employee for the past five years, is credited with being an integral source of support throughout the transition.

“I am so lucky because this has been just the best salon ever,” Benson said. “Hans had a great way of running this business where you knew he was always there to back you up and he ran everything really well. He was also such a master, watching him cut hair was like watching a sculptor.”

Running a business is new to the team, but they’ve stepped up, and Kissner’s legacy of excellence inspires them all.

As equal owners, each has taken on a bit of what is needed to manage the operation. Benson conquered their technology needs and she maintains the books, Yahnke updated all of the necessary licensing and takes care of the retail inventory, and Romero is in-house most often, works with suppliers, and has been most involved with recruiting stylists.

“We’re getting to know each other in a different way, because we’ve all worked together for a long time, but now it’s kind of fun to work together as owners,” Yahnke said.

The team intends to keep the Cutter’s Edge name and logo. Bringing the business to the 21st century, they’ve installed a computer system for booking appointments and keeping track of transactions.The upgrade has gone very smoothly. Other changes will be more aesthetic, like freshening up the salon with new wall colors and shelving. Every three months, a different local artist’s work will be featured.

The services and the products offered will remain the same, including Aveda, Biolage and Redken.

A significant increase in surrounding residences and offices has meant an uptick in bookings and walk-ins, so the salon is actively looking for more independent stylists.

“It used to be that at 5 o’clock, this parking lot would be totally empty. And now you walk out at that time and it’s still full,” Yahnke said. “So that’s one of our challenges. The three of us have pretty established clientele, but we have all of this new traffic and we need new stylists.”

One of the biggest selling points is the sense of absolute friendliness and ease within the space. Focused on creating beautiful hair and on the needs of clients, the crew gleaned styling techniques from Kissner. And, having only been a warm cooperative working environment under their mentor, that continues to come instinctually to the team as well.

For more information, visit http://www.cuttersedgehairsalon.com or call 303-530-4818. The salon is located at 6565 Gunpark Drive, Suite 140.