Photo by Howard Owens
When The Batavian covered the opening of Jagged Edges 12 years ago, owner Amanda Lowe was clearly a bit nervous about opening a business.
"It was a big jump, for sure," Lowe told The Batavian today at the grand opening of her business's new location, 4 State St., in Downtown Batavia. A dozen years ago, she was an experienced hairstylist but had never run her own business before.
This next big step, a more upscale location that moves the business out of a strip mall, is definitely exciting, she said.
"I've learned a lot over the 12 years," Lowe said. "There's a lot of growth in different areas. But definitely, having a great team of girls to share everything with makes it so much more enjoyable."
In the beginning, it was Amanda and her sister Sarah, who is still with her, and two other stylists who changed locations with her from another hair salon in town where they all rented booths.
Now she has nine employees and an interior at her new location that is more fashionable and inviting.
Regular customers at Jagged Edges over the past decade could definitely see the business growing, and Lowe said she was driven to see it grow and get better.
"I'm definitely a goal-setter," Lowe said. "I like to see that growth, and it was super exciting and so meaningful. Even through ups and downs, and every business has ups and downs, we always continued to grow. That was just all the hard work that goes into it, so it was rewarding to see all that happen."
The new space is something she had her eye on for a while, she said. She was looking for something that flowed better and was better suited to the brand of her business, which specializes in hair coloring and providing just that perfect hairstyle for each customer.
It's a new location with more space, but Lowe said she has no plans to branch out into other lines of business. She knows what she and her team do best.
"We do hair," she said. "We do it well. That's what we like to do, and we work together well."
Previously (from 2011): From dream to reality, Batavia woman opens her own salon
