JC Penney hair stylists start hair salon of their own

There is a new hair salon in Marquette County and former JC Penney regulars will recognize the women behind the clippers.

The JC Penney salon staff has opened up a shop of their own in the wake of the retail store’s announcement that it would be closing.  After a fast and furious move to their new location in the plaza between Arby’s and The Safety Store, the ladies at the U.P. Hair Company are ready to continue offering their service.

“We’re a great group, we work real well together and have a great clientele,” U.P. Hair Company owner Barbara Bahrman said.  “We wanted to keep it all together, so when we got over the initial shock (of JC Penney closing) we sat down, put our heads together, thought what we could do so we just decided to open our own salon so we could stay together, keep our clients, and just move our business.”

Although they still work inside the mall, the salon was recognized as one of the 50 best JC Penney outfits in the country.

Bahrman also noted the differences between operating a small business and being associated with a large corporation.

“When you open your own business it’s just you and you have to take care of all the aspects of the business, but you can try new things,” she said.  “Being with a large corporation, a lot of things are already set in place–your programs–and a lot of the implementation and you have a lot of support staff.”

U.P. Hair Company has been open for roughly a week and a half.

Bahrman said between old clients from JC Penney and new walk-ins, business has been great so far.