JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Occasionally, you enter a location and immediately recognize it as a hidden local treasure.
When I got an email from the owner of Genesis Beauty Salon, I knew I had to see what this local gem was all about.
“I just decided I wanted to step out and do something on my own and work for myself,” Chris Fluitt, the owner of Genesis Beauty Salon, said.
The salon has been a local favorite for a long time. Genesis Beauty Salon, located off Timuquana Road on Jacksonville’s Westside, was started by Chris Fluitt in 1999.
“Some of the ladies have been here for 20 years,” Fluitt said.
And through those 20 years, deep bonds have been made. Take customer and friend Lillie Johnson for example. She has known Chris for over 25 years and thinks the Salon thrives because of the people in it.
“When I met Chris, I knew I met a sister,” Johnson said. “It’s just a family atmosphere when you come in here. Chris makes you feel welcome, and that’s why we stay.”
And locals keep coming back.
“Some come every week, and some come every two weeks,” Fluitt said.
It’s a party every day at the salon, but that wasn’t always the case.
One year ago, Fruitt was diagnosed with breast cancer. She went through four very harsh chemotherapy treatments while she battled breast cancer and she said her customers kept her going.
“I felt like I didn’t want to work,” Fluitt said. “But I knew I needed to go to work — I knew my customers would come when I felt like I wanted to work. I had four harsh chemo treatments; I was really down, but they (customers) stood right there with me when they could have gone anywhere else, and they stood there with me when I wanted to work.”
The Salon is more than just a place to come and get your hair done, it’s a place where “framily” gathers and cheers each other on. Their strong faith and strong friendships make this Salon something special.
Christine Smith, the General Manager of the laundromat beside the salon, said she’s also become very close to Chris and gets her hair done often. She loves walking into the salon to uplift her day.
“It’s always ‘Good morning, beautiful, how’s your day?’ It’s just open. It’s open, and it’s friendly.”
And behind those strong sunshine vibes is strong faith to back it up.
“It’s her love for God,” Joanna, a customer, said. “She treats us like He treats us. She is nonjudgmental, so everyone that comes in, she accepts them for who they are.”
Joanna said anybody that comes in, whether they feel down on their hair when it’s thinning or falling out, or just not styling right, Chris — even on a day when she didn’t feel great — made them look great.
“It’s how Chris makes each and every one of us feel beautiful,” Joanna said. “When we get out of her chair, each one of us feels beautiful.”
Much like her customers lifted her during chemotherapy, she lifts them up daily.
“It is just so awesome to have this gem in Jacksonville. You know it’s going to be here for a long time because of Chris.”
“It’s a family, it’s a family 100%. These ladies, and everyone that comes in here — it’s a family.”