They Make West Michigan Beautiful

This is a companion piece to Kelly Quintanilla's examination of the beauty industry in Grand Rapids. Meet some of the city's top stylists.

Jodi Rietman
Stylist, Echo Salon

Jodi Rietman got her start in the beauty industry when she was chosen to model for a local Paul Mitchell hair show more than a decade ago. She realized she didn’t just want to model the hairstyles – she was more intrigued by what went on behind the scenes and wanted to help create the trends and styles.

“I was always interested in art, and knew I wanted to do something creative while still making a living,” she says. “This just made sense.” Rietman, now 31, attended Booker Institute of Cosmetology in Hudsonville before working as a stylist at Jeffrey Richard and Phillip Anthony salons in Grand Rapids.

Three years ago, Rietman ventured out on her own to start Fusion Salon at 926 Wealthy St SE. She began as the salon’s sole stylist, but her growing client base prompted her to hire two additional stylists. This past September, Rietman sold the salon to a local couple who now manages the business, leaving to join Echo Salon at 24 Sheldon Blvd. in Grand Rapids.

Rietman sold Fusion as a first step toward her goal of moving to a larger city, where she hopes to start another salon and find more opportunities to “get out from behind the chair” by doing editorial and personal styling work for photo shoots, fashion shows and celebrity events.

With her creativity extending beyond just cosmetology, Rietman also applies it to painting, poetry and performing with the Super Happy Funtime burlesque group. Music and the rock-and-roll lifestyle provide a major source of inspiration for Rietman. “A lot of fashion comes from that lifestyle and trickles into the mainstream."

Rietman, whose favorite looks of the moment include androgynous and modern pinup styles, is also inspired by local artists and students who frequent areas along the Avenue for the Arts on Division. “Those kids do their own hair and it looks awesome,” she says. “You can go to classes and learn the technical skills, but the creativity has to come from somewhere else.”

Kristina Hoffman
Stylist/artistic director
Tanaz

When Kristina Hoffman got her start in the beauty industry more than 20 years ago, she tried to get her hands on as many heads of hair as she possibly could. “In the beginning, everyone is terrified they are going to make mistakes,” she says. “The only thing that cures that fear is to just do it, and to keep learning by going to classes and shows. The confidence will come.”

After graduating from Chic University of Cosmetology in 1988, Hoffman worked at salons in the Cascade area before starting with Tanaz 13 years ago. She is a color expert and enjoys helping people discover the best style for the face and body shape.

“A lot of people bring in a picture, which is a great starting point,” she says. “But they don’t know if their hair type and texture will work for the look, and we’re expert enough to tell them where to go with it to complement their face and body shape.”

As the salon’s artistic director, Hoffman is responsible for training and guiding new stylists. “I show them the Tanaz vision of what we think is stylish and beautiful,” she says. “It’s about making sure our salon’s artistic vision stays on track.”

Hoffman’s styles are heavily influenced by the rock music scene, and she gets to indulge her passion for music by selecting the tunes that are played in the salon. She styles short, rocker cuts a la Rihanna and long, girly-girl looks reminiscent of Kate Hudson. Hoffman also loves vintage styles, including retro 1940s looks and bold, luscious waves. “But I’m tired of miniscule, wispy bangs,” she says. “If you’re going to have bangs, have bangs!”

Hoffman has traveled across the country and to London, Paris and Toronto to keep up on style trends, studying each destination's couture and high fashion trends “I take the vibe of that city when I travel,” she says. “I’ve lived here my whole life, and I need to get out and see the world and bring it back to Grand Rapids.”

Jennifer Chojnowski
Stylist/educator/manager
Jeffrey Richard Salon

Twenty-five-year-old Jennifer Chojnowski is not only a stylist for Jeffrey Richard Salon, but she also serves as an educator, manager and the only Aveda hair color expert – or “Purefessional” – in Michigan. “You have to have a lot of drive to be successful in this industry,” she says. “It’s not something you can do for a long time and not be passionate about.”

After growing up in Rockford, Chojnowski followed her passion to attend the Douglas J Aveda Institute in East Lansing. Cosmetology is a good fit for her outgoing personality and her artistic nature. “I like to make individuals feel good and I enjoy seeing people smile,” she says. After finishing the program at Douglas J, she joined Jeffrey Richard Salon, where she has now worked for six years.

“Most stylists don’t learn the traditional way because they are artists,” says Chojnowski, who is passionate about teaching and develops customs teaching models. “It’s better to teach in a hands-on way rather than from a textbook.” She takes the same customized approach when working with clients, providing personal, one-on-one service to everyone who enters the salon.

Chojnowski not only wants to help make herself and her co-workers better stylists through continuous education, but she also wants to raise the bar for the entire industry. “I don’t want us to just be looked at as hairdressers, I want to make guests feel better.” She also believes that the policy of tipping stylists should be done away with. “It’s like tipping a doctor. The personal service and respected advice should be a standard part of the package.”

Jennifer Foote and Sara Close
Co-founders/co-owners/stylists, Capelli Salon

Jennifer Foote caught the beauty bug at a young age. “I was always really into fashion and I experimented a lot when I was really young. I had Mohawks, leopard spots, dreadlocks, hair in every color of the rainbow,” she says. “When I was five or six I put my grandma’s rollers in my cousin’s hair, so clearly this is where I belong.”

Today, the 37-year-old is still experimenting, though she no longer needs to practice on young relatives. She worked for four local salons before opening Capelli with Sara Close in 2002. The pair moved together from salon to salon, but had a difficult time finding a place that met their expectations. She wanted to create something different from the traditional salons in town, and when decided to set out on her own, envisioned Capelli as a small salon with a boutique style. The salon’s funky, modern look is a result of Foote’s interest in interior design, which she says is an avenue she’d pursue if she couldn’t be a stylist. “It’s nice that I can explore that a bit by owning my own business,” she says.

Close’s responsibilities range from ordering products to managing the team to signing paychecks, but she views herself first and foremost as a stylist. “That’s how I want to spend my time,” she says. “It’s inspiring to be in a career that continually grows and changes.”

A veteran stylist of 14 years, Close plied her trade at five salons in Grand Rapids before co-founding Capelli Salon. “It was based on a desire for more education, better leadership and a better quality of service,” she says. “That includes everything from just having good coffee and great magazines to looking professional and giving our clients the best experience every time they walk through our door.”

Foote grew up in Grand Rapids before moving across the state with her family at 12 years old. She began her cosmetology training at Wolverine College of Beauty in Walled Lake before moving back to Grand Rapids. “At Wolverine College, my clients could smoke while I gave them a perm, and my teachers all had 10-foot-long fake fingernails,” she says. “Luckily I was able to transfer all my hours to Chic in Grand Rapids.”

Foote has been honored as a finalist in the Tiffany Michigan Hairdresser of the Year Awards, which recognizes the state’s top hairdressers and colorists. She says she loves the entire process of taking a client from start to finish, and would have a hard time working in a more departmentalized salon. “I love color, I love cutting and I love finish work,” she says. “And apparently I’m quite good at it!”

Close has lived in Grand Rapids her entire life, other than a brief stint in Atlanta. She visits New York City at least once a year to view emerging fashion trends firsthand. And as business continues to grow, Close says she would like to get out and see more of the world. “The more you travel, the more it feeds what you do and love, especially if you’re artistic,” she says. “You see a bigger piece of the puzzle than what you find here day in and day out.”