PHOENIX — A Phoenix salon is looking to give back one year after a fire destroyed her business.
With the holiday rush behind her, Hair Again Salon owner Kara McAllister is already decorating for her next big event, even after she’s faced things that would typically slow down a business owner.
”I truly thought it was coming to an end a year before — there was another fire in the strip mall,” she said.
After Thanksgiving in 2023, McAllister lost her salon and many of her key materials and sentimental photos in a fire.
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ABC15 is told the investigation of the 2023 fire, as well as a separate previous fire in December 2022, is ongoing and no arrests have been made.
But even after all that, McAllister found a way to "take a little off the top" of the adversity she’s faced.
She moved her business a few doors down in the same strip mall and was only away from cutting and coloring hair for eight days after the fire.
When asked about her client's reaction to that short timeframe for a business-altering event, she said many told her, “You’re kidding me!”
Her original spot is still charred and boarded up at the same strip mall at 21st and Glendale avenues. She says that even though it's a constant reminder, McAllister says she's faced harder challenges.
The loss of a parent as a teen and growing up in the competitive nature of figure skating all taught her the resiliency needed to not only deliver for her clients but also launch a new mentorship program for aspiring cosmetologists.
McAllister says she wants to give back to the career that made her, in part, who she is today.
“You can come back from pretty much anything if you put your mind to it,” she said.
The salon at 21st and Glendale avenues is hosting an open house for aspiring cosmetologists on February 15 from noon to 6 p.m.
