Envy Co. Salon, where love’s foundation leaves no room for envy

BY BROOKLYN MCKINNEY

Multimedia Journalist

Haley Painter had only been doing hair for two years before making the leap of faith to start her own salon in Stephenville, Texas in 2021. She was inspired by her best friend, who also decided to leave her job at Studio Promo to pursue her dream of becoming a photographer.

“We were the two youngest in the salon, so I wanted to go out and start something; change the nature of really working in a salon and try something different,” Painter said.

Painter’s vision was a relaxing and friendly environment for those like herself who struggle with ADHD or dyslexia and anyone else that might find working or sitting in close proximity of other stylists and their hair tools overwhelming. 

Having originally operated out of suite number 8, Envy Co. Salon now takes up the entire top floor of 1917 W Washington Street with 17 diverse hairstylists. Services offered at Envy Co. include haircuts, color, extensions and scalp treatments.

Not only was the spacing between stations and shampoo bowls intentional, but also the neutral color palette.

“In mind of people that have ADHD or dyslexia, or anybody that’s neurodivergent like me that struggles, I like a softer palette. I think it just helps me stay more relaxed and more in focus on things,” Painter said.

The calming atmosphere of the salon has been a huge hit with clients, winning them “Best Salon in Erath County” for 2024.

Samantha Hawkins, a wedding film photographer and mother of two children, enjoys being able to relax while she gets her hair done by Mackenzie Wolf at Envy Co.

“Her personality, it’s infectious. She talks so much, which is so good though, because I tend to talk a lot too. She matches my energy, so if I want to sit on my phone and get work done, she lets me do that. But if I want to chat, she’ll chitchat all day long,” Hawkins said.

Envy Co. strives to cultivate a warm and welcoming environment free of envy for all clients through a like-minded community of hair stylists.

“There’s so many salons here, it’s a pretty saturated environment of salons,” Painter said. “And then with other stylists you meet, you see them and you’re like, ‘Well I don’t do it that well,’ and ‘I don’t do it that good’, and ‘her hair photos look better than my hair photos,’ and ‘I’m trying, but I’m not getting clientele and she’s getting all of this clientele.’ So, I was like, what’s going to drive me to not have that? And so, then, when I created the name ‘Envy,’ that was my drive.”

In fact, Envy Co. often supports other neighboring businesses like Studio 219 LCC by sending clients their way that have expressed interest in other services that they don’t offer, like lash lifts or men’s cuts.

The salon also shows its love to the Stephenville community through volunteering to teach cosmetology classes at Ranger College and donating to foster kids through the Cross Timbers Court Appointed Special Admissions (CASA) program.

Naomi Dudley not only admires the Envy Co. team’s love for their clients and the surrounding community but also their love and support for each other.

“Every single one of us has a different personality, and I think that works so well because we all attract our own individual clients, but also in the workplace, it makes it so nice because you kind of find your buddy that you have a similar interest with,” Dudley said. “And we’re also loving too. Like if you ever check our social media, pretty much every one of us shares each other’s stuff, comment on it, all of the things.”

All 17 of Envy Co. Salon’s hair stylists, like Sydney Belkham, are driven by their faith in God.

“Everyone has such a big faith, and when you walk in the door, we always have people say they can feel God in here, and we love that. So, we just try to give our business to Him,” Belkham said.

Even their more difficult clients who have done things like sticking gum to Painter’s tray in an attempt to disrupt this atmosphere have been met with patience and nothing but kindness.

“If they do come in and they’re like that, we have the opportunity to change an environment,” Painter said. “So, we crank up, you know, music. Normally, music is anything you can play at church; they can play it on the speaker. Or you know, we change the conversations in the environment and don’t get frustrated or mad at them.”

Most stylists at Envy Co. even offer to fix any service for free that a client is unhappy with if given 24-hour notice.

Overall, the hair stylists of Envy Co. have successfully cultivated a peaceful atmosphere that reflects God’s definition of love. First Corinthians 13, verse four in the Bible says, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, and it is not proud.”