Sola Spotlight: Cheryl Johnson

Hairstylist Cheryl Johnson of In Vogue Hair Designs at Sola Salons Victoria Promenade in Rancho Cucamonga, CA is an industry veteran of more than 20 years. Cheryl found her way to the hair industry through her love of fashion. After being accepted at FIDM for fashion design, she ultimately decided it made more sense financially to attend Citrus Community College to study cosmetology. Hairstyling was the ultimate way for her to combine her love of fashion with her creativity into a highly profitable career path.

Cheryl began her career working at traditional salons in the Inland Empire including Hair Fini in Claremont and DM Lawrence in Upland before opening her own salon In Vogue Hair Designs in April of 1991. After 20 years of successful business ownership, Cheryl downsized from a 1500 square foot salon to an 800 square foot salon, joining forces with a new business partner. Her goal was to spend more time concentrating on her clients and less time managing the overhead of running a salon. She also wanted a schedule that would allow her more time to give back to the hair industry, specifically her Alma mater Citrus where she was able to start teaching cosmetology part-time.

After 3 years in this salon partnership, Cheyl was ready to venture out on her own again but yearned to find a balance between full salon ownership and simply renting a booth in a traditional salon. As luck would have it, a cosmetology student of Cheryl’s told her about Sola. Cheryl explains that the student’s “mother had moved to Sola. I had never really heard about their business and what they had to offer. This was perfect for me. I said, ‘I need to go back to being by myself, go back to what I know and run my own business.’ Running your own business is not about just picking up a comb and brushing hair. You’ve got to have some type of skill set and business sense.” Cheryl began her journey with Sola in January of 2014 with her very own salon studio.

Being at Sola has provided Cheryl a new opportunity to pursue all of her passions in life. In addition to owning her own business, Cheryl wants to teach at a local, low income public school district so she can give back to her community. “I’m trying to help the youth in low income families build up a skill set so they can do well. Right now I’m in the middle of getting my credentials so I can teach in the school district.”

With the freedom and flexibility that Sola has given her, she is able to attend certification courses and continue her hairstyling business at the same time. Cheryl loves Sola because “you can control your own environment. It’s personalized. You can give your customer personalized service and stand out above the rest.” Owner Luke Wiedel has also been a positive part of Cheryl’s Sola experience. “Luke has made me feel welcomed right from the beginning with a positive, pleasant and appreciative but professional approach. I appreciate that he took the time to come by my studio and introduce himself as well as helping me set up my Sola profile page. Luke's there whenever I'm in need.”

Cheryl is a constant student; always taking classes, always learning ways to better herself and give back to her community. Other outlets she’s currently exploring are providing hair care service to mental patients and freelance photography. Fortunately, being a Sola stylist allows Cheryl the creative environment and freedom to pursue all of her passions!

For more information on Cheryl, check out her Sola webpage or her website. Click here for more information about Sola Salon Studios Victoria Promenade.