May 8, 2017

Meet David Armendariz of Studio A Salon in West U and Rice University

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to David Armendariz.

David, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Since I was a child I have been around the beauty industry. I come from a family of 10 and my older sister Maria “Cuca” has owned her salon since I was a child. At that time I enjoyed being in the salon but along with fashion my other passion was music and dance. I graduated from the University of Houston with a major in Music and a minor in dance. I danced professionally for 10 years, unfortunately I tore my ACL and began to search for a new career. I remembered being at my sister’s salon and enjoying the feeling of how my sister would change people looks and how they would leave her space happy. So I left my dance job in Vegas, fixed my knee and sought the best beauty school near my parents’ house. I enrolled to Aveda where they instilled the best customer service skills in the industry. I already knew from working in retail since the age of 16 and also by helping my mom with her at home business that customer satisfaction and service are priority. I finished beauty school and begin my journey as a hairdresser. I sought the best mentors, the best products, and fine-tuned my craft. I always tell my clients that my business was handed to me by my mother. She’s a huge prayer warrior and somehow good things always come to me. Fast forward 5 years out of beauty school and I was ready to work for myself. It so happened that a neighbor down the street (Mai, a very inspiring and successful Vietnamese immigrant) had a small space for lease, instantly I knew that it was the space for me to start my business, the front of the house is Mais Nail Perfection and that back would be Studio A Salon! A year later we outgrew the space and so happen Mai also owned the space next door, a beautiful 2 story 1930s bungalow. Our transition was heaven sent, thanks mom! Since then I have been featured in Allure Magazine in 2015 and 2016, Beauty Launchpad (industry magazine), and frequently with Houston modern luxury. I have built my business on positivity and family, I currently have my partner Jesus Gudino working with me along with my niece Denise Armendariz (Manager) niece Yesenia Garcia (Makeup and hair) and Sister Sanjuanita Garcia and Sister in law Sylvia Armendariz helping with up keep, truly a family affair, a true dream. I love my family and so happy to be able to give back to them. We stay on trend by doing fashion shoots and runway shows, and we give back to our community by hosting 2 non-profit runway shows a year.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I studied Music and Dance not business, so I have had to learn many ‘business’ things as I go. For example, fine tuning my employee hand book. I always have addendums to the handbook, but hey it works!

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Studio A Salon – what should we know?
Our salon is located in West u/ rice university area. We specialize in all textures of hair, color and cut. I’m proud that we are a diverse group of people who are not snooty and love what we do. We thrive to welcome every client with a smile and look forward to having our clients leave with a smile! What sets us apart is our “boutique salon experience” we have shampoo chairs that have a special light that send signals to your Brian to relax while a shiatsu massage complete your shampoo adventure. We also provide our clients with mimosas, wine and soda, every day!!! And I’m most proud of giving back to our community through our events

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
My Partner Jesse Gudino has been a great support for the business. We work together to bring the latest in trends and keeps me on my toes. My biggest fan and cheerleader is my coworker Bunmi Bush, Bunmi has a humors spirit and always makes our clients and me laugh! She is also a first generation American, Her parents are from Nigeria and I admire her sense of hustle. Bunmi also helps in organizing photo shoots and networking with magazines and industry leaders. And last but not least, my family, my niece Denise helps me tons with the front desk (while she’s in business school) and my brother and father help me with all the construction and any project I throw at them

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