Carmen grew up as a “salon kid,” cleaning and helping with other salon duties at Colourz Salon in New Castle, Indiana. Colourz was opened in 1976 by her father, a successful salon owner, who worked behind the chair as a barber, as well as opened a second location in Greenfield, IN. After experiencing different skill sets and jobs, getting married and having children, Carmen and her husband purchased her dad’s salon in 2017. The salon is a second generation family-owned business where leadership, talent, and family values run deep.

Although the family culture runs deep, Carmen has made big changes since purchasing the salon. These changes include moving locations to one of the main streets and changing the salon name from Colourz to Selah. Selah means to pause. The name came from the inspiration to be a place where people can take a minute to pause. Following the new name came their slogan “pause, reflect, renew.” Ironically, the name change came in early March 2020 before the whole world took a pause.

Selah Salon and Spa is filled with 7 stylists and a new apprentice. Structured to set up their stylists for success, Selah has a director of education (Andrea Atwood) and educator (Andrea Payne) who train new stylists and set them up for success in hopes that they can work smarter and not harder with a 32-hour max work week. Post-pandemic Selah took a leap of faith, changing their hours to Monday - Friday, allowing their stylists to prioritize a work-life balance.

Carmen is a fierce leader with a mission like no other. Her mission is to honor her stylists and take care of them so that they can take care of their guests. Another important aspect of her mission is to focus on people first and create a safe space for them to work through any of life's challenges. Lastly, her mission helps her staff to grow so that they can find their God-given gifts to bring a unique vibe to guests.

Carmen has moved from being a leader and a stylist behind the chair to being a full-time dedicated leader and coach to her stylists. Carmen oversees the business side, creates systems, and trains stylists to be their best. Coaching and supporting women entrepreneurs is a continuous dream in the works for Carmen. She also incorporated a small boutique within her salon, representing locally-owned businesses for her guests. She truly is a one-stop shop for anyone located in New Castle.

ManocoBlue has been with this salon through its owner change, location change, name change, brand changes, and so much more.

Advice to a stylist or salon owner who wants to be successful:

Sit down with a salon owner who will be vulnerable. Then ask yourself some questions - do you know what it takes behind the scenes? Are you good with numbers?