2008 Woodie Awards
Ebony and Ivory
Family Centric Mulit-Cultural Hair Salon
David Garrison
Issue date: 9/12/07 Section: Culture
In Arcata, college students tend to call the shots around town, but families live here too.
Businesses that cater to the college crowd, and there are many of them, don't have much for families. There are pizza places with beer on tap, but there isn't a Chuck E. Cheese's. There are a number of places to get clothes and shoes and sporting goods, but there isn't a baby Gap. If college students have a desire in Arcata, chances are there's a business that will take care of it for them. Most businesses in Arcata are set up with them in mind, with trendy posters, and big tables to study on, but if parents want to take their kids into town, there aren't many places to go.
That's why when Valetta Molofsky, a mother of three, opened Ebony and Ivory, a multi-cultural salon on the corner of Samoa and J street in Arcata, she kept families in mind and decided to make things comfortable for everyone, even the little ones. "It's important that kids are treated as well as adults," she said.
Molofsky, with braided hair that falls to the middle of her back, stood by the entrance to her business with her fingers entwined in a customer's hair as she put in corn rows (tight braids that are tied close to the scalp in neat rows). A few feet away, under a big white tent, another customer lay face down on a table and received a massage. These are a few of the services that Ebony and Ivory offers, but most people showed up because of the family-friendly atmosphere.
Against the front of the building, a pile of balloon sculptures were heaped into a pile ready for little fingers to grab them, and next to that a table had been set up for face painting. A yellow, tubular structure, like larger versions of the ones in hamster cages, filled an entire parking spot and around it, kids played freely. The all-inclusive nature of the event is what people wanted.
Toni Moss, 34, of Arcata, an art student at Humboldt State University and a mother of three stood in the parking lot of Ebony and Ivory in blue jeans and a brown shirt, with a green bag slung over her shoulder that rested against her hip. Her other hip helped support, a toddler in a diaper with curly blond hair. "Kid-friendly places are hard to find," she said. "You don't want to feel when you take your kids that they're going to annoy people."
Even the childless customers weren't bothered by the kid-friendly environment at Ebony and Ivory. Deorin Payne, 19, of Arcata, had his hair done first thing that morning. Sporting a new hairdo of locks, with his short hair gathered in clumps about the thickness of a finger he stayed around for a while. The high-energy environment didn't bother him at all, "kids are fun," he said.
Not everyone thinks so. Shauna Bell, 37, of Arcata, and mother of six, had her hair braided that morning. She and her kids have been kicked out of a local business before. She tried to take them to a play once and a person at the play told her that it wasn't a venue for kids. She'll never go back to that place again. "It's embarrassing, shameful," she said, "you feel like you've done something wrong, but you haven't stolen anything, or committed a crime or cursed. It felt really horrible and I was angry."
Adam Molofsky is a stakeholder in Ebony and Ivory. His wife owns the business and although he didn't help very much with the remodel he understands the need for family-friendly businesses in Arcata. "It's a niche that's not catered to," he said, "it's typically forgotten that there are kids."
That's something that won't be forgotten at Ebony and Ivory. It's a salon where everyone is welcome, kids, moms, dads, people with straight hair, curly hair, blond hair, or black hair, and--yes-- college students too. The bottom line is that, Valetta Molofsky cares about all of her clients "they're my friends," she said.
David Garrison can be contacted at dlg32@humboldt.edu
Businesses that cater to the college crowd, and there are many of them, don't have much for families. There are pizza places with beer on tap, but there isn't a Chuck E. Cheese's. There are a number of places to get clothes and shoes and sporting goods, but there isn't a baby Gap. If college students have a desire in Arcata, chances are there's a business that will take care of it for them. Most businesses in Arcata are set up with them in mind, with trendy posters, and big tables to study on, but if parents want to take their kids into town, there aren't many places to go.
That's why when Valetta Molofsky, a mother of three, opened Ebony and Ivory, a multi-cultural salon on the corner of Samoa and J street in Arcata, she kept families in mind and decided to make things comfortable for everyone, even the little ones. "It's important that kids are treated as well as adults," she said.
Molofsky, with braided hair that falls to the middle of her back, stood by the entrance to her business with her fingers entwined in a customer's hair as she put in corn rows (tight braids that are tied close to the scalp in neat rows). A few feet away, under a big white tent, another customer lay face down on a table and received a massage. These are a few of the services that Ebony and Ivory offers, but most people showed up because of the family-friendly atmosphere.
Against the front of the building, a pile of balloon sculptures were heaped into a pile ready for little fingers to grab them, and next to that a table had been set up for face painting. A yellow, tubular structure, like larger versions of the ones in hamster cages, filled an entire parking spot and around it, kids played freely. The all-inclusive nature of the event is what people wanted.
Toni Moss, 34, of Arcata, an art student at Humboldt State University and a mother of three stood in the parking lot of Ebony and Ivory in blue jeans and a brown shirt, with a green bag slung over her shoulder that rested against her hip. Her other hip helped support, a toddler in a diaper with curly blond hair. "Kid-friendly places are hard to find," she said. "You don't want to feel when you take your kids that they're going to annoy people."
Even the childless customers weren't bothered by the kid-friendly environment at Ebony and Ivory. Deorin Payne, 19, of Arcata, had his hair done first thing that morning. Sporting a new hairdo of locks, with his short hair gathered in clumps about the thickness of a finger he stayed around for a while. The high-energy environment didn't bother him at all, "kids are fun," he said.
Not everyone thinks so. Shauna Bell, 37, of Arcata, and mother of six, had her hair braided that morning. She and her kids have been kicked out of a local business before. She tried to take them to a play once and a person at the play told her that it wasn't a venue for kids. She'll never go back to that place again. "It's embarrassing, shameful," she said, "you feel like you've done something wrong, but you haven't stolen anything, or committed a crime or cursed. It felt really horrible and I was angry."
Adam Molofsky is a stakeholder in Ebony and Ivory. His wife owns the business and although he didn't help very much with the remodel he understands the need for family-friendly businesses in Arcata. "It's a niche that's not catered to," he said, "it's typically forgotten that there are kids."
That's something that won't be forgotten at Ebony and Ivory. It's a salon where everyone is welcome, kids, moms, dads, people with straight hair, curly hair, blond hair, or black hair, and--yes-- college students too. The bottom line is that, Valetta Molofsky cares about all of her clients "they're my friends," she said.
David Garrison can be contacted at dlg32@humboldt.edu
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
kyle
posted 9/09/08 @ 8:26 PM PST
First off, there's a baby gap 15 minutes north in Eureka. Second off, where did you learn to write? If this is the type of writing that the HSU journalism school churns out, I'm having trouble wondering how the Jack stays afloat. (Continued…)
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