Aniyah HawkinsAfter its closure in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, A Unique Perception 2, the campus salon is now up and running. Unique Adams, its current owner made a bid on the salon and was approved in 2021 to lease it.
Located on the ground floor of the New Student Center, the salon has been serving students, faculty and staff for over 20 years. Adams, who has experience in salon management and the beauty industry, says opening the salon felt like a great opportunity.
“I wanted to be able to give students the opportunity to work in a professional setting, while still doing something they’re passionate about,” Adams said.
Adams has another salon in Oxford, N.C. also named “A Unique Perception 2.”
“I opened my first salon … in 2015,” Adams said, after previously opening a salon with business partner in 2012. She’s owned her own salon for seven years and enjoys teaching and managing.
She says most college students have other passions aside from pursuing their degree and they are very modern, eager, and teachable. And that’s what she thinks a salon needs most.
NCCU freshman Esthefanie Jean-Francois, a nail technician and owner of “Klaws by E,” says she’s grateful for the opportunity to work at A Unique Perception 2.
“I like the individuality of the salon. We all have our separate brands, but we come together to make the salon run smoothly,” Jean-Francois said.
Jean-Francois, who had her own business in Delaware, says that working in a fast-paced salon environment has helped her pick up her speed and attract more clientele, in addition to building a local clientele.
Hair stylist Princess Courtney, an NCCU freshman and owner of “Hair by Princess,” says that when she was offered the opportunity to work in the salon, she was anxious and nervous.
“I’m used to being in my own space while I work, but everyone in the salon was very welcoming and made me feel comfortable,” Courtney said.
Courtney says that she likes how professional everyone in the salon is and that working there has helped her social skills. All this, she adds, has prompted her to engage with more small talk with her own clients.
“Working in the salon has gotten me a lot more exposure on campus, and I’m genuinely grateful for the opportunity,” Courtney said.
A Unique Perception 2 now has a larger social media presence on Instagram, where stylists can promote their work to potential clientele.
NCCU freshman Sonise Miles, says that she was excited about the location change for her, since this would be her first time working in a salon.
“I felt like it was a big step to my goals in the future when it comes to being a hair stylist,” Miles said, referring to her working in the salon.
What she liked most about the salon is how professional it makes her look, as a service provider. She says that the other stylists are very welcoming and it’s no tension between anyone.
“The salon is like its own little community,” Miles said.
Students, faculty, and staff get discounted prices for all services done in the salon.
Salon hours: Mondays are appointment only, walk-ins are accepted Tuesday – Friday from 10a.m. to 6p.m.
Story by Aniyah Hawkins
Echo Staff Reporter
