We had the good fortune of connecting with Lauren Brinks and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lauren, what do you attribute your success to?
I think what makes The Little Blue Jay successful is we know exactly who the customer is, what they want in a great product and what they’ve been searching for in a family haircut experience. Cutting and styling hair is obviously not a new business idea, but what I found when visiting other establishments was that they couldn’t quite put all those elements together–customer needs, great product & superb experience. By focusing on those three pillars we’re seeing a constant flow of new customers, and we’re seeing them return again and again.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I had zero background in hair or business when I opened The Little Blue Jay. I have a Masters of Education in Higher Education Administration so my last job was managing college recruiting for a large university out of Colorado. I was a stay at home mom of two, with one on the way and I did not see myself getting back to a career in education because it would not work with my work life / family life balance. I wanted to create something of my own and I knew it had to be something that revolved around children. When I took my son to get his first haircut I was underwhelmed with the experience. Growing up, I spent my weekends at my grandfathers barbershop in Columbus, GA, The Blue J, and I have such magical memories of playing in the barber chairs, counting the cash in the register, and grabbing a piece of double bubble gum for good behavior. I wished I had that experience of my own for my son and after a lot of research, time, and money, The Little Blue Jay was born! While we have loved every second of being a business in the Atlanta community it has not always easy. We were not open a full year before the pandemic hit, and we had moments where we wondered whether or not we would be able to re-open and stay open. Owning a business is not for the faint of heart and there have been a lot of hard days and late nights. I decided that all the hard work is worth it and I told myself and my employees that anything and everything would be done to keep The Little Blue Jay open. A few months after re-opening and we are still thriving, and again, that is thanks to our amazing customers who keep coming back and supporting us.

Any great local spots you’d like to shoutout?
Oh gosh, let’s say they are visiting pre-COVID and we would be all over the place! Of course we would hit any festival that was in town for the weekend. We love Ponce City Market, walking on The Beltline, and of course visiting Krog Street. Antico is our favorite place for pizza, La Fonda Latina is one of the most under the radar places for Mexican and Latin food in Atlanta, and of course when we’re dying of thirst some of our favorite local breweries are SweetWater and Orpheus!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Truly, the local Atlanta families! They have welcomed us with open arms and have been super supportive since day one. Our biggest marketing tool is word of mouth and moms telling other moms about their experiences. They are the driving force of our business and we wouldn’t be able to do what we love without them!

Website: www.thelittlebluejay.com
Instagram: @thelittlebluejayatl
Facebook: thelittlebluejay