Meet Anna Hok of Pure Salon and Spa

Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna Hok.

Hi Anna, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I worked behind the chair doing hair for about 15 years. For just about my whole career, I worked for a well-known more natural brand and after a while, found myself developing allergies and having regular adverse reactions to the products I was using and to what I was breathing in. I knew that this could not be good for my health long-term and told myself that if I were to ever own a salon in the future, I’d create a more toxin-free space. After about the ten years mark in the industry, I knew that my desire was no longer to be behind the chair forever. The following years I continued to work behind the chair but knew it was time to turn the page. It was either become an educator for a big brand company or own a salon. My parents owned a business for a long while and have always urged my siblings and I to work for ourselves. And my husband is a very hard-working and successful entrepreneur. So for me, the answer was right there….entrepreneurship. So then the journey started.

As I was building a business plan and looking into salon ownership, a local organic salon was for sale. It just so happened that this salon was exactly what I was looking for and I knew it was meant to be. February of 2020, right before the pandemic hit hard and shut a lot of businesses down, my husband and I partnered in and purchased Pure Salon. Little did we know that a month into our business, we’d be shut down for about three months due to a pandemic. It was a very challenging and stressful time. There were times I questioned if I made the right choice. But all in all, I knew that I didn’t end up here by chance but by God’s design.

My journey into entrepreneurship started out pretty rough. Due to the pandemic, we lost a lot of employees, business was way down, and all the new plans we had for the salon, such as our remodel, were put on a long hold. I know the salon industry suffered tremendously. Many of us weren’t sure what the future would look like for our industry moving forward.

Thankfully for us, clients could not wait to get back into the salon. We’ve even had a rise in new clients seeking us out because of the more natural or more low maintenance look they’ve obtained because of the pandemic. We pride ourselves in being not only environmental stewards (as a certified Green Circle Salon) but also introducing and educating clients to a safer and cleaner alternative to beauty. All of the products we use are carefully picked and must meet certain nontoxic standards. We stand by our brand of being Pure and hope that clients feel the care and kindness we show when they visit with us.

All in all, entrepreneurship is not an easy road, but it’s so rewarding. I’m learning more and more everyday and thankful to have the opportunity to lead and grow Pure into a strong brand.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It was not a smooth road at all when the pandemic hit from the beginning. I struggled with keeping employees taken care of, not knowing if they would return or not. I had to brainstorm different ways to bring in revenue, such as online retail orders and gift cards because we practically had no money coming in. And we had all of these plans to remodel and update the salon, but due to Covid, so many manufacturers got shut down, so we had to put everything on hold.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Pure Salon and Spa is an organic salon that stands for clean beauty. We offer safer alternatives to all things hair and esthetics with luxurious nontoxic products. We are a Green Circle Certified Salon in which we do our part as environmental stewards by reducing and recycling all wastes including excess hair color, foils, paper, plastic, glass, hair, and PPE. We are very eco-conscious and we aim to use and offer only the cleanest products without all of the harsh chemicals you typically find in beauty products. At Pure Salon and Spa, we are all about caring for people and the planet. What’s important to us is building relationships and we hope that each client feels the love and care we have by all the little attention to detail.

Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
IG: @purenashville #keepitpure

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.purenashville.co
• Instagram: @purenashville
• Facebook: purenashville

Image Credits
Thomas Chi