They live on opposite ends of the country, but these two hairdressers have a few things in common. Along with being salon owners (with shops named in tribute to New York!), they’re both dedicated to making clients look radiant, and are equally passionate about serving their communities by giving back to those less fortunate the best way they know how: through the art of styling tresses.
Tim Telles comes from a family of hair pros: his dad was a barber for 47 years, and by the time Telles and his wife, Treeny—also a stylist—opened Tribeca Salon (tribecahairsalon.com) in Aliso Viejo, California, in 2007, four of his brothers had also entered the business. A client later told Telles about Village of Hope, a transitional housing program for homeless men, women and children located on a decommissioned military base in the neighboring city of Tustin. “The stunning facility contained an unused salon, and it seemed such a waste to let that space sit empty,” Telles recalls. Another client do
nated four salon chairs plus two shampoo bowls, and volunteers now come once a month to cut, color and administer au courant treatments, from ombré to balayage. “I hope to soon open the salon three days a week and thus attend to all 190 residents,” says Telles. “With their hair done, they can feel good about themselves, go on job interviews and start building back their lives.”
Helping those in need is of equal importance to Stephanie Brock, owner of Manhattan East Hair Design Studio in Peterborough, New Hampshire. Along with regularly lending her pro services to Manchester’s New Life Home, a women’s rehab shelter, in June she received a singular opportunity: assist local Korean War veteran Raymond Turner and his wife, Cynthia, who found themselves largely housebound for the last few years due to age, disabilities and general deterioration around their property. Nonprofit group Build Monadnock Strong gathered volunteers and complimentary Home Depot supplies to remove debris and construct an easy-to-access 72-foot ramp. “Knowing media would be present and interviews conducted, my role was to make the couple feel great by creating fresh looks,” Brock explains. Both got cut and coiffed—and results were immediate. “Cynthia sat up a little taller and the smile never left her face, while Raymond, though very humble, shook my hand and expressed deep gratitude,” recalls the stylist. “None of it felt like work, because seeing their happiness brought me such joy.”
-Francesca Moisin
