Ashley Perdue, owner of the Grey Rose Salon, holds a pack of feminine hygiene products as part of the salon’s tampon drive, just one of their community-based initiatives.
Sam Zavada | Times Leader
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Ashley Perdue is the owner of the Grey Rose Salon, located at 2800 Memorial Highway in Dallas. About eight years ago, the business was still on the Memorial Highway, but in a tighter environment.
The Grey Rose Salon, at its inception, was located in a one-room shack behind Bernie’s Pizza. At that time, Perdue didn’t have grand plans for what the business might become — but things have changed.
“I started off thinking I was just going to take care of my daughter and work part-time doing some hair, and now we’re the largest salon in the Back Mountain,” said Perdue.
It’s not just the size of the salon that’s changed. The reputation of the Grey Rose has increased in the community, leading to the business’ dual Best of Back Mountain wins for Best Salon and Best Customer Service.
Walking in the Grey Rose Salon’s front door in October means being greeted by a collection of Halloween-themed decorations.
But while the salon might seem a little extra in its decor, the approach of Perdue and her three fellow hairstylists is more reserved. She described her business in a number of cozy words: “chill,” “cool,” “happy” and “relaxed.”
The approach in the actual styling is reserved as well. Perdue stopped short of calling the salon’s style as “classic,” but made reference to the Grey Rose’s dedication to realism.
“A lot of people bring in pictures from the internet, Instagram, of course, all that,” said Perdue. “And it’s just not realistic, and it’s not doable. And a lot of it is AI-generated stuff.”
Perdue said that the beauty industry, in general, is dealing with an expectations problem, and the weight of those expectations are felt by the customer, too. She noted that self-esteem issues can often follow customers that are dissatisfied with their appearance.
Instead of compounding these problems, Perdue alleviates them by embracing each customer’s true self. It’s reflected on the salon’s Instagram page, where she does not edit any of the photos that are publicly shown.
The hairstylists get in on the high comfortability level of the Grey Rose Salon as well. They’re encouraged to wear whatever makes them feel good, whether that’s a T-shirt and jeans, or something more extravagant.
Perdue has made giving back to the Back Mountain, a community she’s been a part of since she was 13, a high priority. With that, the Grey Rose Salon has been a sponsor of NEPA Pride and worked with the Harveys Lake Women’s Club, among other activities. This fall, they are currently operating a tampon drive, which will result in hundreds of feminine hygiene products being donated to Ruth’s Place.
The community has responded well to the Grey Rose Salon’s efforts. Perdue estimates that the clientele who walks into the salon is a great microcosm of the community at large.
“I don’t know if we’re just lucky that we have cool people coming through our doors,” Perdue said with a laugh. “We don’t have to deal with too many nasty people, so I think that speaks volumes of our community.”
The latest honor, the Best of Back Mountain awards, came as a surprise to Perdue. She didn’t do any hard campaigning — save for an Instagram post and a single email blast — and was feeling grateful when the news finally came down that the Grey Rose Salon had won in two categories.
“To have people say that you’re the best is a little overwhelming,” said Perdue.
There was also a sense of humility for Perdue as she considered where the Grey Rose Salon is now. For a business with little walk-in traffic and an appointment-only model, she hasn’t done half-bad.
“To me, I’m still in that one-room shack,” Perdue said, recalling her business’ placement in the back of Bernie’s Pizza less than a decade ago. “It was very, very nice to hear that we’re loved.”