Photo by Breonny Lee
BY Taylor Adams Cogan
It’s no secret that Deep Ellum has historically been filled with artists. But artistry here goes beyond music and murals. For Mary Gonzalez, her art is hair.
Since planting her roots in a then-quiet Deep Ellum nearly two decades ago, Gonzalez has watched the neighborhood evolve alongside her craft.
“In 2008, I came here thinking, ‘Wow, it looks scary,’ with closed and abandoned buildings,” she says. “‘Am I going to make it here? Am I going to start my business here? Am I going to maintain a clientele? It’s dead. It’s old; I’m a hairdresser with new trends.’”
She had these thoughts in her head as she entered the neighborhood, finding a home in Orange Salon on Main Street. The well-known Todd Allen still owned it then, having opened the business in 2001. Just out of hair school, she skipped over work for commission, instead choosing to work in a salon where she could learn under others.
“Orange was very well-known, it was one of the first salons in Deep Ellum. I wanted to try it, and the owner, he took me in,” she says.
The salon had an owner following Allen, whom Gonzalez said didn’t understand either hair or the neighborhood well, which led her to pursue ownership.
“I felt like he was bringing Orange down, so I was like, ‘I need to take over. This is my time,’” she says. “I always wanted to own my own salon. This time, I needed to do it.”
That was 10 years ago. Gonzalez not only chose to develop her craft here, but she invested her time, money, and passion into Main Street and the neighborhood.
“At that time,Deep Ellum wasn’t busy. We were getting all of our clientele up north, Frisco, Plano, even Fort Worth,” she says. “Now that it’s been getting busier in Deep Ellum, I feel like we have so many families and groups of people that walk around, and they come in.”
Which is easy to do here: large windows and glass doors open up to the naturally lit space, where retro decor boasts the color of the salon’s name. When the weather’s nice, that glass garage door goes up to let in the nice air that’s so precious when it comes to North Texas. It’s a friendly, breezy atmosphere that can put any visitor at ease. It’s made even better when you know you’ll look better when you walk out.
Over time, Gonzalez downsized from four units to one, sharing her space with three other hair artists.
“I wanted it to be more of a home vibe, but comfortable, so every client that comes in feels they’re just comfortable and not feeling rushed or feeling overwhelmed with so many stations and other clients,” Gonzalez says. “I feel like when you come into my salon, it feels more like home. It’s a very modern but yet retro salon. Residents, bartenders, waitresses, all come by and just chit chat. It’s a very relaxing but social place to hang out.”
When Gonzalez first looked through the door of Orange, it was the only business of its type in the the neighborhood. She’s watched as neighboring businesses have setup and stayed for the long haul, seen others who couldn’t make it quite as long, and watched artists make their way in the neighborhood, even through the blip that was 2020.
“So many artists struggled during the shutdown and worked hard to survive, and I was one of them. It was a ghost town for a few months; we all worked together to overcome it,” she says.
Today, storefronts have filled, both with long-lasting establishments and others that have been quick to turnaround, and there are other salons that dot Deep Ellum’s map.
“We have a lot more apartment complexes, high-rise complexes, that are being built or that are there, so there are a lot of the residents around. Many do forget that there are stylists or hair salons, even little mom-and-pop shops, they forget that we’re there,” Gonzalez says. “But I think it’s really good that they’re now walking around comfortably and spotting us here, not just me but all the other salons and barbershops.
“Deep Ellum has so much potential. There’s a lot more families and pets strolling in our community,” she says. “I see Deep Ellum as my home. I admire all that come and support and have fun and live life here, see history, try new foods, shop around and make memories of everyone. I believe we are still a growing community with inspirations.”
