Southern Indiana Business September-October 2020 | Seite 18

COVER STORY boutique in downtown New Albany. "Then it was like, what about me?" he said. "I love fashion, and I love helping people — all my friends would always call me for fashion advice. So I got into the fashion game with developing the location." For Ross, Him is all about providing "confidence and style" and being "fashionable and comfortable," he said. Diana built a clientele as she rented a booth at her cousin's salon, and she eventually became trained in a method of hair extensions that was different than anything else she had ever seen — she loved providing a transformation "bigger than just a color or a cut," and she saw that the extensions provided a confidence boost for her clients, she said. After participating in business training, she started to narrow the focus of her business, and she opened Mane Alley as a niche salon specializing in extensions. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Ross and Diana had to make adjustments to their businesses. At Him, Ross began offering new services such as curbside pickup and started to expand the boutique's online store. "I do love the experience here — that’s my favorite part, being in the store, providing the experience," he said. "But we're trying to adapt to all these new ways of living." For Diana, it was challenging when the salon had to close for a couple months amid the pandemic, but she found ways to keep the brand alive and moving forward, she said, whether that was posting videos showing people how to remove their extensions or selling temporary hair extension pieces to clients. Upon reopening, the salon has been following protocols for sanitation and masks. "Coming back from it, I feel like we’re both stronger than ever," she said. "I think that the choices that we made while we were closed were the right choices, and we’re going to do whatever we have to do to make sure Diana and Rocco, the salon mascot, relax at the entrance of Mane Alley Color & Extension Bar. The atmosphere is casual but inviting. 18 September / October 2020