Bringing a Love of Art into Hair and Make-up Styling with Amber Berry
Collider is passionate about sharing the stories of Rochester based entrepreneurs and small business owners! We recently chatted with Amber Berry, who specializes in bridal hair and make-up and runs her own salon in Rochester!
Photo by Nicole Mills Photography
Longtime hair and make-up artist, Amber Berry, always intended to pursue a creative career path, though cosmetology was not what she initially had in mind.
Amber was born and raised in Southeast Minnesota. After she graduated from high school she had plans to attend college for fine art, but at the suggestion of a close friend, she enrolled at the Aveda Arts and Sciences Institute in Minneapolis. Over the next three years she immersed herself in school.
“It just clicked. The education was great and I was able to meet and learn from people of so many different backgrounds and cultures. I really embraced the experience and learned so much.”
She especially loved make-up contests and hair shows that were put on by the school.
“During the make-up contests, our instructor would show us a look out of a book and we would have to recreate it.” She laughed and said that she won quite a few, if not all of those contests. “The hair shows Aveda would put on were really good opportunities to experiment with different, bold colors. Some looks would turn out amazing, some were a bit questionable. But that’s how you learn.”
Photo contributed by Amber Berry
After completing her program at Aveda, Amber moved to Rochester and worked for a salon downtown for a time before relocating to St. Charles, where she worked for the next nine years. While doing hair and make-up for clients going to prom, Amber started falling in love with formal hair and make-up styling.
“Prom was of course always a crazy busy day at the salon. While I was working in St. Charles, we would have thirty girls come in to get their hair and make-up done within seven hours, which was really intense. But it was always a great learning experience.”
Eventually, Amber started to feel stagnant in St. Charles and decided to move back to Rochester. She also decided that she was ready to open her own salon.
“I was at a point where I didn’t feel that there were any more opportunities for growth for me there. I felt stuck and like I’d hit a wall both personally and professionally. I missed living in a larger city and felt that it was time to move on. I also felt that I was ready to start working independently. Rochester was a good option because it was a big enough town for me to feel happy in and also close enough for my clients from St. Charles to keep seeing me. It was a big change, which was scary but also wonderful.”
After moving, Amber leased her own small studio space out of Sola Salon Studios, which houses several independent stylists. She jumped in headfirst, specializing in bridal hair and make-up.
“I was really fortunate with how smoothly the whole process of opening went. I have a lot of amazing, loyal customers that helped make the transition very natural. It was like it was meant to be.”
Shortly after moving back to Rochester and opening her studio, Amber became connected with the local photographer, Krista Weisz of The Moments of Life Photography, and Brianna Prudoehl of Fox and Fern Floral, who asked her to collaborate on some styled events and photo shoots. “Studs, Struts, and Stilettos,” a local construction fashion show which benefits the Rochester Area Habitat for Humanity, remains one of Amber’s favorite events to style. She loves the opportunity to play with really out of the box hairstyles and make-up looks to help create a striking fashion ensemble.
Photo by The Moments of Life Photography
“If I could, I would move to New York and do special effects make-up all day long. Rochester is quite conservative, so I love opportunities to do styled shoots and put together vivid colors for fun, wild looks.”
Photo by The Moments of Life Photography
Looking back on the past nine years that she’s been in business in Rochester, Amber cannot recall a slow workday, with the exception of being shut down during the pandemic.
“I remember shutting down on St. Patrick’s Day. All of us running our studios out of Sola were really confused and weren’t sure what to do. It was a very weird feeling. I was shut down until June 1st. I couldn't work at all and I was homeschooling my daughter, which was a challenge. Those few months were a struggle, but ultimately everything worked out. And looking back, I wouldn't take back those months. I had so much time with my daughter that I otherwise would not have had.”
When Amber reopened for business she was immediately swamped with clients desperate to get their hair done after those months in quarantine. She worked twelve to fourteen hours a day to get caught up. “I basically buried myself in work here and it hasn’t slowed down much since.”
Photo by The Moments of Life Photography
Despite her busy schedule, Amber always makes time for her daughter. “She’s a competitive swimmer so I spend a lot of time at the Rec. Center. We also love traveling together. I just love experiencing new things and my daughter has found that same love. Spending time with her and going to different places is one of my favorite things.” Amber also enjoys gardening and painting.
As a word of advice to aspiring business owners Amber said, “Take chances and believe in yourself. If you put the work into an idea, even if it’s a slow process, taking the time to be creative and develop an idea is important. You never know where it will lead you. Even if it doesn’t work out, you learn and walk away with the experience. No one can take that away from you.”
Thank you so much for taking the time to read Amber’s story! If you find value in this content, please consider donating to help Collider continue amplifying the voices of Rochester entrepreneurs. You can also learn more about A Berry Hair by clicking the link below!
Article by Corrie Strommen, Director of Community at Collider.
