May Spotlight: Main Street Hairstylists
By McKenzie Taylor
The Wabasso EDA, Commercial Club, and Redwood Area Development Corporation are working together to recognize and showcase the local business owners that work hard to share their talents with us. For the month of May, we are shining a light on Main Street Hairstylists, a hair salon that sits right in the middle of downtown Wabasso, owned and operated by Audrey Prokosch.
Around 7th grade was when Audrey realized that doing others hair was something that she was passionate about, “I remember getting excited to do my mom’s hair before church every Sunday and I loved it and I think that was when I had my first thought that hair was something I’d like to do as a job one day,” said Audrey. After high school, Audrey attended cosmetology school in Willmar where she met her husband, Steve. After she completed her schooling, she worked in Ortonville for a few years before moving back to the area and working in a salon in Redwood Falls.
When asked how she ended up owning the salon in Wabasso, she stated, “I remember when I first heard about this place being up for sale, me and my husband had gone to a Vikings game with our friends, Earl and Arlene Zimmerman, and we were having dinner with them after. Earl had told me that he heard there was a beauty shop in Wabasso that was up for sale and thought that it would be a great idea for me to buy it and start a shop there.” The shop, “Patti’s beauty lounge, was previously owned by Pat Johnson. Audrey purchased the shop that October and is coming up on celebrating forty years in business!
Audrey says that her family was her number one supporter in her journey to becoming a business owner. “Owning a business is very rewarding,” says Audrey, “But comes with a lot of hard work and patience.” Audrey’s favorite services to perform are haircuts, but offers everything from coloring, to perms, to shampoo sets. She also helps out the community by traveling to the assisted living center as well as the rehab center in town, to help accommodate those that are not able to drive or leave where they are at.
One of the biggest challenges that Audrey has encountered while owning a business is simply the amount of time it takes to run, and that when you want to take a vacation or need a sick day, there is no paid time off. Although Audrey has worked along side a few others in her shop over the forty years she has owned it, she has primarily been a one woman show. Regardless, she stated that she absolutely loves her job and the people she has gotten to meet and become friends with because of it.
More recently, Audrey has ever so graciously extended a hand and has been sharing her space with two other local hairstylists, Tiffany Eichten, and Miranda Hadley, that have since been forced out of their space that they rent in downtown Wabasso due to their roof caving in from water damage. “When I heard about what happened to the building a few spaces down and talked to them, no wasn’t even an answer that I had considered telling them! I am happy that I have been able to help them get through this situation and give them a space to continue to do their work.”
In her free time Audrey enjoys spending time with her family, especially her thirteen grandkids and loves when they come to visit her in the shop. Audrey says that she would like to retire in the near future, and would love to be able to sell her salon to someone else that too shares the dreams she had when first opening her business. “I really would also just like to take a moment and thank the community in and around Wabasso that has supported me and contributed to my success in the last forty years.” Her advice she has for others looking to get into this profession is to work hard, and to commit yourself. If you are interested in checking out Audrey’s shop give her a call at 507-342-5616.