Brantford’s Shallow Creek Academy of Hair Design hosted an open house tour of its school and salon facility on Monday, April 15, 2024.
Guests got an up-close look at the 4,800 square foot building and its eight learning spaces, including the fully operating salon, barber area, manicure and pedicure room, and more.
On top of the tour, the event allowed both potential, and incoming students to ask questions about various schooling opportunities and potential career options, as well as to meet with the school Owner and Lead Educator, Susan de Jong.
“Today’s open house is really a chance for us to welcome incoming students and show them what programs we have available from May to September,” she said. “It’s just a great opportunity to chat with them, especially those high school students who are beginning to think about choosing a career.”
Visitors learned all about Shallow Creek’s full time and part time hairstyling courses, the various aesthetic, advanced and special interest courses, as well as the new lash extensions, lash lift and brow lamination, and spray tanning courses.
De Jong, who has nearly 40 years of experience, said that with the ever-changing world of hairstyling, the school’s hairstyling courses cover the absolute fundamentals of the trade.
“Hairstyling is an art that is continuously changing and it’s never boring; cutting changes, colouring changes and trends change. With that being said, I think that with being in school, there is an amount that has to be basic,” she said. “That’s what my job is, I take students that are starting out, some that have no background at all, and we dive into theory essentials, salon business operations, hair cutting, chemical services and colouring. All of that is so that they can understand all of those important fundamentals before going forward and building on that.”
During the event, she also spoke to visitors about the flexibility that a career in hairstyling can offer.
“Once you graduate and you’re licensed, there’re so many different ways you can be employed; You could open your own salon, you could rent a chair in an already established salon or you could even work from home if that’s what you choose,” she said. “If or when you decide you’re finished working behind the chair, you could work in sales and work in schools, or like in my case, you could even open your own college. There are so many steps and so many directions that you can go in and the only limit, is the limit you put on yourself.”
Lexis Foley, a student at Shallow Creek said that her time at the school has helped her become more confident in her abilities and that there is always more than one way to achieve the same result.
“Sometimes it can be difficult and uncomfy to learn because it can be nerve wracking, but that’s the whole point of learning,” she said. “You have to get through that to get to where you’re comfortable, and Susan has really helped to make that transition easier for me.”
De Jong explained that the school holds several open houses throughout the year and that people can always contact the school to arrange a tour and receive more information.
