Following is an excerpt from my new book, which will be published this fall. The book focuses on the life-changing  journey that I took while building my Studio 904 Salon. I hope you enjoy this small peek inside.

Lending a Helping Hand

Here’s how it all began…

One day in 1982, Richard, a good client of the salon, had an unusual request for me. He was the director of the Northwest Cerebral Palsy Center in Seattle and an active volunteer in the community. As he looked at his finished haircut, pristine as usual, he said to me, “Kay, I was wondering if you could do me a big favor.”

“Sure,” I said, “Go ahead.”

“I was wondering if someone from Studio 904 would be willing to come to the center and give haircuts to the young men who reside there.”

“Don’t they have someone who already cuts their hair?” I asked.

“Well, we do have a few stylists who come and give haircuts, but you should see what they do to our residents. They just carelessly buzz up their hair, making them look more disabled than they already are. These are young men and they care about how they look. I have been trying to think of a way to give them a great-looking haircut just like the one I got today,” said Richard, as he smoothed his hands over his freshly groomed hair.

“Let me see what I can do,” I told him. Read more