Gina SHIFLETT
I grew up in the industry working with my mother, who still owns her own business. I started cleaning the salon and shampooing hair at a very young age. I have fond memories of this time in my life because I loved being with my mother, and since she worked all the time, that is how I spent time with her.
Honing my craft and working in the same field since I was a child has given me the status of expert and is most likely how I was voted by Atlanta Magazine as “Atlanta’s Best Men’s Hairdresser” while working at the prestigious Van Michael Salon in Buckhead. While employed at Van Michael’s for 17 years, I truly learned the art of hairdressing. As one of the busiest salons in the country, customer service was of paramount importance to the culture. I also worked in a few other salons in the Buckhead area, including the acclaimed VIS-À-VIS and Stan Milton. In addition, I have trained extensively at Vidal Sassoon in California and London.
My biggest talent is my passion for what I do. Practice truly makes perfect, but it is more than that. I really enjoy serving people. I like to make people feel good, to give them a boost and help them to be their best. Many of my clients have become lifelong friends.
In 2001, I had one of those life-changing experiences: a car accident that left me with a lot of recovery time. I thought it was a great time to come to the beach and begin my healing process. It was then that I fell in love with the magic of Highway 30-A in Florida and the beautiful beaches here. I decided at that time to escape the madness of Atlanta’s traffic and move here to open a small boutique salon. The business was blessed from the very first day, opening with a full book of clients.
Besides my business, I am very passionate about supporting and networking with other business owners, as well as “giving back” to my community. I have worked with Melinda Mayton, founder of The Lighthouse Family Retreat, providing gratis hair services to the mothers of children with cancer attending the weekly retreats. The joy of making people feel good when they are tired from dealing with the horrible stress of knowing their children are battling for their lives was the most uplifting feeling that I have ever felt.
I also initiated a local campaign to help raise money for mosquito nets for children in Africa to protect them from malaria. In 2007, I worked with Sister Barnes and her Barnes Family Foundation to organize a fundraising event, with the proceeds benefiting her Ukrainian Orphanage. This year, we plan to expand our efforts and donate a portion of the proceeds to Cottages for Kids. Founding the Change the World Fundraiser, now in its third year, has been one of the most gratifying joys of my life. These charity events, and the work that I do with several other worthy organizations, keep me alive and excited!
As a new year has presented itself, lots of wonderful changes have happened at Salon Twist. In 2009, I decided that after five and a half years of great success, it was time to give Twist a facelift. I solicited the help of my dear friends Cheryl Troxel and her hubby Jeff Nablo. Together, we created a tres chic, fabulous hot spot in Seagrove Beach.
Continuing to feed my passion for working with underprivileged children, I found a new cause to get involved with. The beneficiary charity this year was the Global Village Foundation (GVF). I was introduced to Le Ly Hayslip, the founder of GVF, through my friend and client Jane Burns, who had been to Vietnam and met Le Ly. Over a haircut, I learned of this amazing heroine. I found her story intriguing and wanted to contribute on some level. We worked closely with Le Ly to find a way to contribute. At an elaborate dinner party at Jenifer and Faisal Syed’s home in Rosemary Beach, Le Ly cooked an authentic Vietnamese dinner and we raised more than $8,500 for portable libraries in Vietnam.
Honing my craft and working in the same field since I was a child has given me the status of expert and is most likely how I was voted by Atlanta Magazine as “Atlanta’s Best Men’s Hairdresser” while working at the prestigious Van Michael Salon in Buckhead. While employed at Van Michael’s for 17 years, I truly learned the art of hairdressing. As one of the busiest salons in the country, customer service was of paramount importance to the culture. I also worked in a few other salons in the Buckhead area, including the acclaimed VIS-À-VIS and Stan Milton. In addition, I have trained extensively at Vidal Sassoon in California and London.
My biggest talent is my passion for what I do. Practice truly makes perfect, but it is more than that. I really enjoy serving people. I like to make people feel good, to give them a boost and help them to be their best. Many of my clients have become lifelong friends.
In 2001, I had one of those life-changing experiences: a car accident that left me with a lot of recovery time. I thought it was a great time to come to the beach and begin my healing process. It was then that I fell in love with the magic of Highway 30-A in Florida and the beautiful beaches here. I decided at that time to escape the madness of Atlanta’s traffic and move here to open a small boutique salon. The business was blessed from the very first day, opening with a full book of clients.
Besides my business, I am very passionate about supporting and networking with other business owners, as well as “giving back” to my community. I have worked with Melinda Mayton, founder of The Lighthouse Family Retreat, providing gratis hair services to the mothers of children with cancer attending the weekly retreats. The joy of making people feel good when they are tired from dealing with the horrible stress of knowing their children are battling for their lives was the most uplifting feeling that I have ever felt.
I also initiated a local campaign to help raise money for mosquito nets for children in Africa to protect them from malaria. In 2007, I worked with Sister Barnes and her Barnes Family Foundation to organize a fundraising event, with the proceeds benefiting her Ukrainian Orphanage. This year, we plan to expand our efforts and donate a portion of the proceeds to Cottages for Kids. Founding the Change the World Fundraiser, now in its third year, has been one of the most gratifying joys of my life. These charity events, and the work that I do with several other worthy organizations, keep me alive and excited!
As a new year has presented itself, lots of wonderful changes have happened at Salon Twist. In 2009, I decided that after five and a half years of great success, it was time to give Twist a facelift. I solicited the help of my dear friends Cheryl Troxel and her hubby Jeff Nablo. Together, we created a tres chic, fabulous hot spot in Seagrove Beach.
Continuing to feed my passion for working with underprivileged children, I found a new cause to get involved with. The beneficiary charity this year was the Global Village Foundation (GVF). I was introduced to Le Ly Hayslip, the founder of GVF, through my friend and client Jane Burns, who had been to Vietnam and met Le Ly. Over a haircut, I learned of this amazing heroine. I found her story intriguing and wanted to contribute on some level. We worked closely with Le Ly to find a way to contribute. At an elaborate dinner party at Jenifer and Faisal Syed’s home in Rosemary Beach, Le Ly cooked an authentic Vietnamese dinner and we raised more than $8,500 for portable libraries in Vietnam.
