Catonsville Patch:  How long have you been in business in Catonsville?

Valerie Stanovich:  So much has happened in just a little over one year.  In September, 2010, we got married and opened the shop in the same month.

Micah Stanovich: Then, six months later, we expanded the shop.  We blew out a wall and added four stations.

Valerie:  AND I found out I was pregnant!  And now little Sid is three months old...

Micah:  and we have a total of nine employees.

Patch:  Why did you choose Catonsville?

Micah:  The Catonsville/Arbutus area is where we grew up so that had a lot to do with it.  Plus we felt the area needed something like what we’re offering at Lucky Three.

Valerie:  We wanted to spruce Paradise up a little bit.

Patch:  What do you like about being in Catonsville?

Micah:  The community is my personal favorite.  Everybody that walks by here...

Valerie: everyone is waving outside the window.  We’ve built a lot of friendships in just the year and a half we’ve been here.

Patch:  What services do you do?

Micah:  We are a very well-rounded salon.  We cater to every age...

Valerie:  men, women, classic barber cuts and face shaves to trendy, up-to-date styles for women and men...

Micah:  all different hair types as well...

Valerie:  and we do waxing and extensions.

Patch:  What is your busiest time of year?

Micah:  Back to school, holidays and spring are our busiest.

Valerie:  This is definitely our down time.

Micah:  December was our best month in business.

Patch:  What’s one of the hardest things about your work?

Micah:  They say the first couple of years of a new business are the hardest, but with the support we have had from the local community, we’ve been very successful, even growing.  We want to keep everyone happy and keep our good reviews coming.   That’s harder the more we grow.  It’s important to us to keep a happy work environment.

Patch:  What are you proud of?

Micah:  I’m proud that we are attracting a very diverse clientele.

Valerie:  It was one of our goals.  And I am proud that we took this step to open our own business.

Micah:  It was a huge risk that we took.  Val and I both came from Bubbles, which is a chain salon, and I’d say 70-80% of our clients followed us...

Valerie:  That’s where we met. 

Micah:  We also are proud that our entire staff is very professional.  All our stylists could be making more money working for larger salons, but we like working in this environment and making our services more affordable.

Valerie:  We are a Paul Mitchell salon.  We use and sell all Paul Mitchell products which means that we are offered free education, which we take advantage of.  We all take one class per month.  So we are constantly learning.

Patch:  What’s your favorite thing about your work?

Valerie:  We have created an environment with good people and I look forward to coming to work...

Micah:  I really like our employees and our clientele.

Valerie:  I love that we have a hair salon that’s a place where people can feel at home; it’s a welcoming environment.

Patch:  What is one thing you think is needed in the business community?

Valerie:  In Paradise, we need more local businesses.  This strip has so much potential and there are so many vacancies.

Patch:  What's the best piece of advice that someone has given you when it comes to running a business?

Valerie:  Micah tells me all the time that I have to grow a backbone.  For him, being a boss comes more easily.  It has been a real personal journey going from being a stylist to also being a manager.

Micah:  My father is a manager for Under Armor, and he beats into my head:  “customer service, customer service, customer service.”

Patch:  What are you looking forward to?

Valerie:  Growing and expanding and taking advantage of whatever the future has to offer.