Business Matters 2020 | Page 37

On the FAST TRACK Entrepreneurs under40 Jennifer Youngblood Jennifer Youngblood: Primp Salon continues family entrepreneurial tradition Center native Jennifer Youngblood is the founder and owner of Primp Salon and Spa on the square in downtown Center and has been ever since she opened in March of 2013. “I was born and raised in Center, I’ve been here my whole life,” says Jennifer. “My dad has an auto repair shop here in Center, Allen’s Auto Repairs. And my grandpa, Herman Bailey, had an upholstery shop, Bailey’s Upholstery, in Center.” Jennifer has been a licensed hairstylist since 2001, but she longed to find a salon of her own where she could provide an uplifting workspace for other hairstylists. “I opened Primp Salon in March of 2013,” says Jennifer. “I wanted to provide a place for stylists in our area to have an amazing place to work and give back to our community.” Jennifer feels she successfully provided the perfect salon workspace and has been running business smoothly since. “I love it here, our hairdressers love it here,” Jennifer says. “We’re in a beautiful location. Being on the square is great, we have a STORY BY SHANNON JAMES | PHOTOS BY GINIA HOOPER gorgeous view of the courthouse and it brings us a lot of walk-in traffic.” Being a business owner during the COVID-19 pandemic, Jeniffer was left with no choice but to temporarily shut her salon down. “We had to shut down for six weeks due to COVID,” says Jennifer. “When we came back though, it was super swamped. Everyone had been waiting for a hair appointment for so long. We were having to turn down people left and right.” Even after being closed for more than a month, business for Primp Salon has been running smoothly ever since reopening, she says. “Things have been great, business has been great as usual,” says Jennifer. “This construction on the square has slowed down our walk-in traffic, usually we always have a high volume of walk-ins. But other than that things are going good.” Jennifer says she is thankful for her beautiful location on the square and the amount of community support she’s received during the last seven years. Primp Salon and Spa is a full service hair salon with stylists, color specialist, a massage therapist, offering facials, a nail tech, teeth whitening and spray tans. “We have a fun and friendly staff on hand to help you with your beauty needs and we’re just a call away. Give us a call or walk on in and be ready to get primped,” she says. AT A GLANCE WHAT: Primp Salon and Spa WHO: Locally owned and operated by Jennifer Youngblood WHERE: 126 Nacogdoches St. Center, TX 75935 WHEN: Monday - Closed Tuesday - Friday 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Saturday 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. PHONE: (936) 598 - 3061 FACEBOOK: @PRIMP Salon and Spa Jennifer Youngblood’s entry into a business of her own represents a family tradition of entrepreurship. Business MATTERS | 2020 Fall Edition 37