Hair Geek Studio

Tucked between Insomnia Cookies and Brubaker’s Pub, Hair Geek Studio was something of an impossibility.

Sapreea English looked at three buildings for her salon but was drawn to the most challenging prospect: the one with the highest rent and the most need for renovations, as it had previously been an office. “I just kept praying on it,” says English, who’s been a licensed cosmetologist for 10 years. She prayed in her car outside the space every day for six months and applied for the spot three times. In June of 2017, she was approved by Downtown Akron Partnership for the Pop-Up Retail Program and enlisted family and friends to remake the former Pritt Entertainment Group office into a salon for good hair and positive vibes.

“I like this building because I’m not comfortable with it,” she says. “I wanted to feel that uncomfortableness, strive to do better, go harder every day for my business.” As part of that forward motion, she plans to expand with a full-service barber shop in the back of her salon this year.

The bright, stylish shop offers a range of services for all types of hair, from a $30 haircut to a $75 dread re-twist to a $225 lace frontal sew-in weave that’s sewn onto existing braided hair. “We want to service everyone,” says English, who calls herself a geek for hair.

Two elegant chandeliers bring a touch of class to red walls bedecked with uplifting phrases. “I play gospel music in the morning, we don’t gossip, and anybody that comes in here is very inspired,” she says.

The feeling of community downtown keeps English focused on connections, especially with kids. She has started two organizations to inspire tweens to follow their dreams: Pretty Geeks for girls and Dapper Dudes for boys. Along with friends, English helped give away over 350 backpacks filled with donated school supplies last summer. This year, they aspire to give away 500.

“I want to be known for more than just doing hair,” she says.