Arts
It is really all about being cool! Hanging out with cool people and being part of a cool scene. James Griffith describes his foray in the hairdressing world with one word-cool. Horst Reckelbacher from Aveda was the top of the mountain. Aveda was just getting started and James was there, along with many other greats of the time. James had a classic upbringing in the industry about to be disrupted. He met some important people while hanging out with Horst, that changed his life. He came across Lauoret, a French master of the Jacque Desaage hair cutting technique. James went on a haircutting journey that led him to Paris and continues on till today. In pursuit of craft, he is now opening his own training classes in the French Haircutting method starting in 2019. James reminds me of so many guys I have spoken to from this era. Obsessed with the movie "Shampoo" they thought that being a hair designer behind the chair was happening, a place to meet girls, and something akin to being in a rock band. The industry was certainly in transition at that time. Isn't hair and beauty always in transition? Maybe so, moving differently than it is today. Jame's time was one of extreme transition, and certainly accelerated by the founder of Aveda, a genius hairdresser, salon owner and mad product maker. In this podcast James also talks about his locations. I ask him about what it is like to rent or own, as he does both. I ask him about the competitive landscape of being in a relatively small town with so many other top level salons. The seasonality of a place like Sarasota, how do snowbirds effect their business? Florida too, is in transition in so many ways. Many people lament the transistions, but not James. He is moving forward. He is opening a school in 2019, with a big draw, learn a new technique and hang out with some pretty cool people steps from the beach. Time to hang out with the cool kids!