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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAllen worked alone in her shop for years, but losing her lease twice to the sale of the building forced her to consider other options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI thought, \u2018I\u2019ll just do booth rental,\u2019 and the reason I chose to go to Shear Frenzy was because I knew Brian was there. I knew I\u2019d have at least one friend there because I\u2019d never worked with other hairdressers,\u201d said Allen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shear Frenzy\u2019s owner, Faron Campbell, passed away, and her son, Jacob Campbell, took over the shop. Allen and Gulley continued their work there, but when Jacob also passed away, it was time for them to consider their future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe loved it at Shear Frenzy, but we had a couple of hard losses. We needed to make our own memories \u2014 memories for us. We wanted to have more peace and not so much sadness looking around and seeing the loss we had at Shear Frenzy,\u201d Allen said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Allen and Gulley\u2019s friendship was strong, and while they studied their next steps, an ideal location for a salon opened. They decided to draw on their compatibility and make new memories as partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe shop we\u2019re in now kind of fell in our lap. We weren\u2019t looking, so it was meant to be. We took the first three letters of his name and the last three of mine, Brian and Karmen, and came up with Brimen\u2019s Hair Studio,\u201d said Allen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Open Tuesday through Saturday, Allen is behind the chair each day, and Gulley is there Thursday through Saturday during the school year and for the summer. He\u2019s the founder and instructor of the cosmetology program at Fayetteville High School. With seven classes a day, Monday through Friday, Gulley said it\u2019s the largest program in the school\u2019s vocational program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He was a Fox54 Top Teacher last October and is passionate about the importance of relationships with the students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s a good feeling knowing you\u2019ve helped young people find their direction and what they want to do in life \u2014 encourage and make those connections with them. Young people need encouragement today, probably more than ever, because it\u2019s a different world out there,\u201d said Gulley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While Gulley is busy training tomorrow\u2019s cosmetologists, Allen misses her partner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI watch the clock on Thursdays around three, waiting on Brian to get there because it\u2019s good to have him there,\u201d said Allen. \u201cWe have the same personality, sense of humor, and work ethic and get along so well. In this industry, it\u2019s hard to get along with somebody the way you need to in order to stay together. We\u2019re so much alike.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n So much alike that remodeling the shop was a piece of cake, even during the supply shortages and restraints of the pandemic. Brimen\u2019s opened on June 10, 2021, and clients recognize the pair\u2019s seamless handprint upon the shop\u2019s look and feel, affirming their shared passions and personalities. It\u2019s easy to see today that Allen has come full circle, back to Truvy and \u201cSteel Magnolias.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI love my people,\u201d she said. \u201cI love how they might be in a bad or sad mood, and we can just talk and laugh and forget about the outside world while they\u2019re in the chair. Maybe I made them feel better for the rest of the day. I believe everybody deserves to have their hair done and feel good about themselves. Then, in return, they make me feel good. They lift me up, pray for me, and appreciate me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unsurprisingly, Gulley agrees. \u201cIt\u2019s the lifelong connections you make in the community. All these years, you\u2019ve done (their hair), and then you\u2019re doing their children\u2019s (hair), and you\u2019ve done their grandchildren\u2019s (hair). These people become more than clients; they become friends and family.\u201d At Brimen\u2019s, you\u2019re not just a name on an appointment book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe always want the people that come to see us to know they\u2019re just not people; they are important. When you come to see us, we\u2019re going to treat you like you want to be treated. You\u2019re not just a number; you\u2019re a client of ours,\u201d said Allen. \u201cWe want you to feel that connection. When you come to our salon, you\u2019re going to get the same treatment every time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ll find laughter, free therapy, and bonds of friendship for life\u2019s most challenging days at Brimen\u2019s Hair Studio. You\u2019ll leave with hearts lighter and colors brighter. Rinse and repeat. It\u2019s a beauty regimen that pays out more than it costs. GN<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" AT TRUVY\u2019S Beauty Spot in \u201cSteel Magnolias,\u201d kinship forms among the stylists and their clients while hair color processes and dries under the blower. The laughter and free therapy leave hearts lighter and hair brighter, and age and circumstances are no barrier. Truvy, Ouiser, Clairee, M\u2019Lynn, Shelby, and Annelle forge an undergirding bond as they […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":24845,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21366","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/fayetteville\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/01\/2-1-1024x683.png\")
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