Daily Inspiration: Meet Reilly Thompson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Reilly Thompson.

Hi Reilly, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’ve lived in Saint Louis for 11 years, and I’ve been a stylist for 5 years.

Getting into this industry was sort of an accident. I originally wanted to be a makeup artist and felt that having my license would make me more ‘official’. After applying to Paul Mitchell the School St. Louis, I really fell in love with hair. At first, I wanted to specialize in cuts. Then, I wanted to only do color. Then, I wanted to be a barber. I was really all over the place.

I graduated from Paul Mitchell and started working shortly after that. I got more comfortable with alternative hair and fun colors. Getting myself out of my comfort zone and chatting with more alternative clients helped challenge my art. I had a rough break with a salon I had been working at for years and it really threw me. I had to scramble and get back on my feet and into a space where I could create art again. It was hard, but I made it work. And then COVID happened.

I was really unsure of what was going to happen to my industry after COVID. During that time, I grieved. Months prior to the lockdown, I had been abruptly let go from my salon home and never took the time to heal from that shock. This salon had been my home away from home and the place I thought I would grow in. The lockdown helped me realize what a toxic situation I was actually in. If anything, my growth as a stylist was stunted at that job. I spent those months to reevaluate my career and rediscover my passion.

Shortly after lockdown, I heard of an open spot at Chop Shop and jumped on the oppurtunity. Since then, my business has only grown. It’s absolutely wild how many people I’ve reached. I’ve had strangers recognize me, come up to me and tell me how much they love my work from seeing it online! And my clients have told me that random people will tell them they know their hair from Instagram. It’s so, so wild how much this community has supported me and helped me grow my little business. I don’t think I can ever accurately explain how much it all means to me.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
From the outside looking in, it looks like a pretty smooth ride. But I really struggled with finding my path in this industry, and I still do. In school, there was always this pressure to specialize in one thing and I wanted to do all of the things. In the field, there was this pressure to sell and make clients think they need something they didn’t. Hair is so important and holds so much power for people. I’ve always wanted to make people feel confident in themselves. If adding in two rows of extensions makes someone feel like a badass, I’ll do it. If shaving their head makes them feel like they’re on top of the world, I’ll do it. There is no greater feeling than making someone feel good about themselves.

I think if 2016 me saw how much we have grown, she would be thrilled. I mean, I decided to go to hair school on a whim. Everything that has happened is miles from what I ever imagined for myself. The journey here had its challenges but God, I wouldn’t change a thing about it.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
My goal has always been to make people feel confident. Ive been known as the “Shag Queen of STL” and doing alternative color placements. My proudest moments have been giving trans and non-binary individuals the hair they’ve always wanted. There’s something so special about seeing your client truly feel like themselves. Hair has power.

Currently, I’m focusing on growing my extension and color clientele. I hope to bring really amazing hair trends to STL and create an environment for people to feel like themselves. I want to continue growing, not only as a business but as a person. I’m always learning and getting better so that I can offer my clients the very best and modern services. I want every client to leave feeling refreshed, confident, beautiful and heard.

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
The traditional path for new stylists is to take on an apprenticeship, work for six months to a year under a stylist and then start behind the chair. I did it all out of order. Once I was licensed, I went rental for a bit, then I started working at salon in the mall, then I went rental again. A few months into that, I was offered to work as an employee under the salon owners and I worked for them for three years. I didn’t take on an apprenticeship or work for another stylist during that time.

You can learn so much from the people around you in your industry. Ive learned so much from the stylists who have become my friends over the years. I learned how to cut perfect bangs from a stylist who has been doing hair for 15 years. I learned how to paint hair from a watching a stylist who has been behind the chair for five years. You can learn something new from the stylist who has been in the field for one year or the stylist who’s been in the game for 10+ years. It’s important to watch and learn and ask questions.

Education is extremely important, but education doesn’t have to be a five hundred dollar class.

If you’re looking for a mentor, start researching the stylists that you look up to and where you want to start growing. It’s important to think about the stylist you want to be and take those steps to become that stylist. I think it’s also important to know that there is no wrong way to do what you want. Whatever path you take is going to work because you want it too.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://square.site/book/J3AF07BM9HBRB/rj-chops-at-chop-shop-east-saint-louis-mo
• Instagram: @rj_chops

Image Credits
Raphi Munoz