Meet Renay Ware of Hair By Renay in North

Renay, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was raised by my grandmother due to my mother’s addiction, I moved around allot due to my grandmother’s financial situation but when I got old enough to move out I did. I worked my senior year at a transportation company full-time so I could afford to move out in my own. I have three beautiful children, two girls and one boy. My son is twenty-five, I have a daughter twenty two and my baby girl is eighteen. I worked so hard making sure my children had everything they needed and some of the things they wanted. I was always doing my family and friend’s hair and in 2009 after going through a divorce and having to start all over due to that it. I decided to go to cosmetology school so I could get licensed. I decided to try it out full time but being a hairstylist can be unpredictable when you’re the only one bringing in money, it’s even harder, I found myself looking for a job that had a steady income. I was in the process of building up my clientele so I can do what I love full time.

I was a child of an addict who could not take care of me and my brother and I survived, my oldest son lost his leg in a work accident and I survived. Although I have been through many trials and tribulations, I have also experienced many accomplishments. My son got through his tragedy and he is such a strong man, I have a daughter who graduated Cum Laude in August of 2020 from Texas State University with her Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. and my baby daughter just graduated high school. I was able to open up my first mini salon in August 2018 after two failed attempts, and this year in July I was blessed to open my own salon and I am so proud of myself, my life feels like the real Cinderella story and I’m just missing my prince.

Has it been a smooth road?
It definitely hasn’t been easy, I tried to go into booth rental straight out of school and it was hard. My sister-in-law at the time had her own shop so she let me try to build clients in her salon but it wasn’t working out a planned. I left to get a Job, of course I wasn’t happy at that job and it did last a while but then I got laid off and went to work in another friends salon in a totally different area and that area was worst then the booth rent, this friend wasn’t charging me book rent so I felt guilty because I wasn’t making enough to even pay her, so of course I had to get another job to pay my bills. I found employment with Walmart smart styles which lasted about six months, that job is where I was able to learn more about clipper cutting. They gave me skills that I have perfected and so thankful for the opportunity.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Hair By Renay – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
So Hair by Renay officially started in August of 2018. I tried the booth rent but didn’t really like it, I didn’t have enough clientele to make it work. I do all hair types, I have done women, men, and children’s haircuts. I also do weaves, relaxers, and color. When it comes to a specialty, I feel I am well rounded with a plethora of services, but I have done more extensions than any other service.

I am proud of my company because I didn’t give up, I may have slowed down but I stayed the course, I’m still growing and learning and I don’t plan on stopping. What separates me from others is believe in the old values in regards to styling hair. I don’t treat my business like an assembly line, thats one is the reason I don’t think I’ll ever expand. I love how personal my clients and I are, if you were to ask each of them, they would say they are my favorite clients due to how I make each one of them feel individually.

Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I love the diversity and the different cultures that make up our city, there are so many beautiful places in Houston and the prices are the best part. I would say the traffic is the worst part of having such a large diverse group of people in one area, but even that has its benefits. Allot of my best thinking is done in traffic.