When Arlease Graves interviewed for the Concierge position at Salons by JC Houston North in Champions Willowbrook, her first impression of the salon suite was awe-inspiring. “Finding out that under one roof was a community of business owners was very exciting to me”.
After speaking to owners, Jeff and Mary, about the position and touring the facility, Arlease was convinced this would be a good fit. “Jeff and Mary told me to treat the salon like it was my own business and that mindset has been motivating me in my approach with potential new suite owners.” That outlook has also helped her in building rapport with her current suite owners, “I keep an open line of communication for any needs that may arise and I also make sure to work with them on their business plans and goals”.
Jeff and Mary Panjawani with Arlease Graves
The Power of Community
Arlease recently took the initiative to host a community small business week event at the salon that brought forth 5 salon tours that week that lead to 3 heavily interested lease leads. “What made this event awesome was the participation of everyone at the salon”. The tours were just an added bonus to an already successful event. We asked Arlease what are some of her tips to staying on top of leads who have toured, but didn’t sign a lease. “Leases take time, but don’t let them forget you. I always follow up with an email if they don’t answer the phone when I call them. I remind them that we would love to have them at Salons by JC and we will work with them to help them grow their business”. Finding the perfect suite is also something that Arlease stresses during the time of the tour. “Make sure that the suite fits their clientele and let them know that they can always go bigger as their clientele increases, but assure them that we are here with them every step of the way”.
Building the Small Business Community
The Small Business Week event planning started with a trip to the USPS Willow Place location so Arlease could learn more about what they could offer her suite owners. “We had 5,000 direct mail pieces that we had previously printed and I asked the station manager how we could best deliver them to neighboring residents and businesses”. This short discussion resulted in 2,400 mailers being mailed out at no cost to the Houston North location.
Seeing the success of interacting with her neighboring businesses, Arlease decided to organize a small business week event at their location that would be beneficial for her suite owners. She contacted the USPS and Combined Life and Health Insurance and asked if they would be interested in having a table at their location to give information to their suite owners. She didn’t stop there. She reached out to Louisiana Finest Boilers who served up some delicious Crawfish for the event.
“The suite owners were very excited to be involved with National Small Business Week”. The location had t-shirts made with the Salons by JC logo in the front and each suite owner was offered the opportunity to have their logo on the back of the shirt. 
An Empowering Environment
In just one year at Salons by JC Houston Champions Willowbrook, Arlease has transcended the environment and instilled a sense of community among the suite owners. It’s easy to sense her passion for her suite owners and for Salons by JC. She looks forward to partnering with many more local businesses and organizations that can enhance business growth for her suite owners and bring great networking connections to the salon. She looks forward to hosting and collaborating more events in the future for the Houston North location.
The key distinction at Salons by JC is our dedicated Concierge. Arlease is the definition of the dedicated, hard-working, innovative Concierge who goes above and beyond to make sure the community is aware of the location and all the services offered. She also focuses on the suite owners to make sure their needs are met to make sure they thrive in the salon environment. Congratulations to the Houston North location and Arlease!
ABOUT Salons by JC
In 1997, Jack Griffey and Cecil Miller began their journey to transform the beauty industry one salon suite at a time. Like most young entrepreneurs, they started out with a big idea but had to learn how to start and run a business from scratch. After much perseverance and hard work, one year later, they opened Salons by JC in Dallas, Texas in 1998, welcoming beauty and wellness specialists who were ready to break free from the traditional salon model. The company has since moved its headquarters from Dallas to San Antonio, where it continues to grow through franchising. Today, Salons by JC has nearly 100 locations in 26 states and Canada and are looking to develop of 200 over the next several years. For more information, visit salonsbyjc.com or salons
