Longtime Moses Lake stylist joins elite corporation

Jujube'z owner starts work with Paul Mitchell, salon remains open

MOSES LAKE — The highlights keep on coming at jujube'z the salon, inc.

In November, the business, which recently marked its 14th year in town, made the move from 118 W. Broadway Ave., to its new spot at 924 W. Broadway Ave.

"Clients love it, we've got wonderful parking," manager Bob Johnson said of the new location. "Where we were at, (the opportunity for) expansion wasn't real good … This is just set up so much better than we physically could have done."

"It's kind of more like a spa when you come in, versus just a hair salon," owner Julie Johnson, Bob's wife of 12 years.

Julie is making her own move. Thursday marked her last day as a stylist in the business.

She will still own it, and jujube'z will remain open — Bob will continue as manager and the business still has two people renting booth space, plus a massage therapist — but Julie began work today as a regional color coordinator with John Paul Mitchell Systems, which markets its products under the name of Paul Mitchell.

"For six years, I've been an educator with Paul Mitchell," Julie said. That work entailed educating other hair stylists, offering seminars and work at hair shows. She also became a color educator, teaching on the subject of hair color.

As regional color coordinator, Julie will train color educators and offer seminars for new Paul Mitchell users, and working as an instructor at different events the company puts on, such as the signature gathering held in Las Vegas, Nev.

"I'm going to be part of the team that creates curriculum and things like that," she said.

Her territory with the company covers Washington, Idaho, Oregon and Alaska.

"If there's a new Paul Mitchell user to color … then I would be one that would go in and help them set up, do marketing for them and help them grow their color business," she explained.

It's not a job that Julie said she deliberately set out to do.

"I guess I just thought it was not necessarily obtainable," she said. "They always say hairdressers just die behind the chair … because you're self-employed, there's no retirement or benefits or any of that kind of stuff."

Getting involved with Paul Mitchell was fun for her because it was different and offered the opportunity to help others, she said. The corporation employs under 110 people, so even thinking about joining the company seemed like a pipe dream to Johnson.

"They never hire, no one ever quits, no one's ever left the company in 25 years, they have all their same people, so that says a lot," she said.

"Gosh, it's wonderful, it's a great thing," Bob Johnson said. "It's not really the end of a career, she's stepped up every single year for 18 years. She's a business builder … "

He said the Paul Mitchell company is one of the most forward-focused businesses in the industry, as opposed to some of the more cut-throat operations.

"It's very unusual in that way," he said. "It's a very close-knit (company), and has not turn-over other than natural attrition."

Julie's position became open because the company is restructuring regional territories as business expands, she explained. Only five other people in the nation hold the same position for the company.

The move increases Johnson's time to be with her family. As a stylist, she was working six days a week, 10 to 11 hours a day, and Sundays off were spent preparing to teach on Monday.

"My back was burning, I broke my ankle in October — that was a wake-up call that, 'Oh my gosh, what if something were to happen to me?' or get an appendix taken out or something, it would be kind of devastating, business-wise," she said.

But if she feels like coming in and coloring someone's hair, she might just call up and ask if anyone is on the list.

"But I'm not going to be committed to having a set schedule," she said.

Johnson said she took beauty school whilst in high school, finishing both at the same time. She went right to work at one business, and started jujube'z when the business she'd planned to move to closed.

"I called all over town, no one had any spots open and so I just said, 'Now we have to get a building,'" she recalled.

Johnson's stepdaughter had always called her Ju Ju, and in trying to come up with names for the business, the then-8-year-old "kept skipping around the house, going, 'Name it jujube'z, name it Ju Ju's,'" Johnson explained, adding with a smile, "We (said), 'Ashley, shush.'"