Australian lesbian hairstylist Tabatha Coffey won her own TV show after appearing on Bravo's Shear Genius. She works the kinks out of more salons with a third season of Tabatha's Salon Takeover.
Windy City Times: Hi, Tabatha. I interviewed you for last season. And I just wanted to see if you had checked back too with Chicago Male Salon in Chicago? You did a great job with that one, I thought.
Tabatha Coffey: Well thanks, Jerry. It's nice to talk to you again. Maybe I did check back in with them. You'll just have to watch season three and find out. Won't you?
WCT: You are such a tease. We loved having you in Chicago.
TABATHA COFFEY: Well I loved Boystown and I was actually in Chicago a couple of weeks ago.
WCT: Aww, I missed you. So with the third season how do you keep things fresh?
TABATHA COFFEY: You know what? The thing that I really love about the show is it's always fresh for me because every salon that I walk into is totally different and has its own set of issues. So it really changes.
WCT: I have seen that in past episodes.
TABATHA COFFEY: It's walking in with a fresh set of eyes to help that business on that day and get to the bottom of their problems. I am trying to help them solve their business and personal issues to put them back on track.
WCT: Do you take it personally when they give you attitude?
TABATHA COFFEY: I don't take it personally. It frustrates me and I don't hide that frustration very well, for sure. I don't take it personally because it is business and I am there trying to help. And I also understand that I have a very small window of time that I'm with these people. There are a lot of problems that I need to get to the bottom of.
WCT: What makes a successful salon?
TABATHA COFFEY: A successful salon and a successful business to me in the salon industry you need to have talent. You need to have the goods. So you need to be a good hairdresser.
It's all about the client experience and making sure that the salon is clean and the client is taken care of. They need to feel pampered, relaxed and taken care of and beautiful for that hour, two hours, three hours that they're in the salon.
WCT: What was the craziest salon in the upcoming season?
TABATHA COFFEY: They're all a little crazy in their own way but I think my craziest salon this season was definitely when we went to Provincetown. It had a lot of challenges and I have never in my life seen a stripper pole in the middle of a salon.
WCT: Are you serious?
TABATHA COFFEY: The salon that was 450 square feet so it was incredibly small. And smack in the middle was a stripper pole where clients were encouraged to dance for dollars. For every minute they spent on the pole they'd get a dollar off their haircut.
WCT: Did this work for them in the past?
TABATHA COFFEY: It didn't work as well as the owner anticipated strangely enough, no. I actually saw clients fleeing out of the salon when they were offered to get on the stripper pole and dance to get money off their product sales or their haircuts. So it wasn't a great marketing tactic at all.
WCT: Is there one thing from season to season that salon owners are consistently doing wrong?
TABATHA COFFEY: I think a lot of salon owners just become overwhelmed and give up. Any business that you have to manage and any time you're in charge of people whether you're an owner or a manager, it's a constant reiteration of rules and constantly staying on top of things to make sure things are done the way you want them to be done in your business. I think a lot of owners consistently feel bad telling people how they want things done or they feel like they're babysitting and they don't want to be active in their business. That seems to be something that runs all the way through.
WCT: Is there anything you have learned from the show that you apply to your own salon now?
TABATHA COFFEY: Absolutely. I learn all the time. When I walk into other people's businesses I'm always fully aware that I need to make sure that whether it's saying thank you to my staff enough, that they feel valued or making sure clients are getting a great experience and keeping on top of our game.
Sometimes it's just even realizing that you need to step back for a minute and take a break so that you don't feel overwhelmed. So for me it's always a learning experience and something that helps me keep myself on my toes and hopefully the rest of the business owners that I go in to visit.
WCT: You went to California this season. Who in Hollywood has the best hair?
TABATHA COFFEY: Eva Longoria's hair always looks amazing. I think she just consistently has great looking hair. I am loving Emma Watson at the moment. I just think she looks adorable. She kind of grew up before everyone's eyes and matured. Kim Kardashian's hair is always beautiful as well.
WCT: The worst?
TABATHA COFFEY: Sometimes Paris Hilton's hair doesn't look great of me, some of the accessories and things she wears. I mean she has such a stand out look and sometimes I think her hair could look a little better.
WCT: Any celebrities that you would like to style?
TABATHA COFFEY: Probably Paris now because I just said she needs a makeover. Maybe she should book an appointment.
Want to see who gets clipped or snipped? Visit www.bravotv.com for information as Tabatha's Salon Takeover returns for a third season.
