Hair Connection Helps Katrina Devastated Salon Rebuild

NEENAH, WI, March 23, 2006 – Hurricane Katrina cost former Michigan native Donald Bryson his home and livelihood. His hair salon and home in New Orleans were completely devastated, but his story was by no means an exception. And although it’s been several months since the disaster, for many business owners, it’s not getting any easier. The Louisiana Weekly and MSNBC.com reported recently that business owners are having great difficulty rebuilding and resuming business since Katrina.

Jeanne Mykel, co-owner of the Hair Connection, learned of Bryson’s plight online through Behind the Chair, a leading cosmetology website, where she found story after story of salon owners who had lost their businesses due to the hurricane. Mykel and co-owner Connie Koehnke decided to help Bryson get back on his feet by donating six hair stations and supplies left over from their recent renovation.

The equipment and supplies will allow Bryson to resume operations of the Bryson International Hair Color Salon. He’s thankful for the help, saying, “… once again, people I did not know came to support me. If it was not for the kindness and all the support of the Hair Connection, my ‘family’ in the hair care business, what or where would I have been?”

Finding transportation for the donated equipment was a challenge, but McCrory Furniture in Oshkosh provided the solution. McCrory’s included Bryson’s equipment with a truckload of customer-donated home furnishings destined for a nearby church.

The Hair Connection, located at 1315 S. Commercial St., Neenah, offers affordable hair styling for the whole family, full-service tanning, and professional nails. Their commitment to the community includes providing complementary haircuts and hair care products to the Christine Ann Center, Harbor House and Candlelight Vision.