This Salon Brings Vibes, Comedy, and Alternative Styles to Wheeling
Kismet serves as a group of like-minded, independent hairstylists and beauty artists that are creating a culture of support, creativity and inclusivity in Wheeling.
When salon co-owners Jamie Sleutz and Audrey Yakopin took a trip to Put-in-Bay in Lake Erie, OH several years ago, they didn’t know that they would experience a special moment in their friendship that would become the inspiration for the name of the salon they would open years later.
One night on the vacation, while they had been sitting outside, they looked up into the dark sky and both saw a shooting star.
“Oh my gosh, it’s kismet,” Sleutz had said. Their friends had asked what that meant, to which they explained that the word means fate or destiny. The moment had been so special for the two women that they got matching tattoos to commemorate it. Then, years later when opening their salon together, the word felt like an obvious choice as a name.
Sleutz and Yakopin decided to add “The Salon Syndicate” because it refers to a group of businesses, which is how they have chosen to operate their salon.
“Each person in here owns their own business,” Sleutz explains. “They pay us to rent the spot. We don’t want to be anyone’s boss, so we…just provide the space, the vibes and the entertainment.”
They officially opened the salon, located at 1066 Market St., in 2024 with a mission to provide a warm and welcoming space. The storefront had already been operating as a salon where both women worked, and the previous owner asked Yakopin if she would like to take over the salon. And so, the two women decided to become business partners.
Sleutz grew up in Sugar Creek, OH. She attended the National Beauty College in Canton, OH before she moved to Wheeling in 2010 when she married her husband.
Yakopin’s first love wasn’t beauty, but fashion instead. However, after discovering cosmetology, she quickly fell in love with it. In fact, she says fashion plays a role in her job, as she gets to express herself with her outfits and do hair at fashion meetings. Yakopin grew up in Chicago but attended and graduated from Bella Capelli Academy, a Paul Mitchell Partner School in Monroeville, PA.
The partners described the salon as working with people to meet their budgets and believe they’ve successfully created a friendly environment for their clients.
“We both believe, by working in higher-end salons, that beauty is not a luxury that is just to be had by a few,” Yakopin said. “I think that beauty should be accessible to everyone … We don’t want anyone to ever walk in here and feel any sort of pressure, or like they don’t belong. I feel like we’ve struck a really good common ground of just making it very relaxed here.”
Yakopin added she wants her clients to come in and laugh.
“We’re like dinner and a show,” she said. “I think comedy definitely breaks down most barriers. If you can make someone laugh the first two minutes in your chair, immediately, they’re going to feel better and safer.”
Sleutz said her favorite haircuts are short styles. She added that not many hairstylists specialize in the alternative haircuts she enjoys, such as mullets.
“I love doing anything that’s kind of a different look,” she said. “I like helping people look like their true selves on the inside. I have a lot of people that’ll come in and say, ‘Listen, I just want to shave my head, or I just want to do a completely different look, and I love that. That’s my favorite.”
Yakopin said she loves the variety when it comes to styling hair.
“I only take female clients,” she said. “I love the purpose that this gives me. Someone walking in and not feeling good about themselves, and walking out and feeling good about themselves, gives me gratitude.”
The partners frequently stay involved in the community, attending events and working with neighboring businesses. The salon’s Facebook page offers more information about the salon, such as scheduling with Sleutz, Yakopin and nail tech Sarah Adkinson.
“I would just love for this message to come across as we are just a very accessible salon,” the partners said. “We want people to feel welcome. We love our community and we want to be a staple here in any way that we can.”
