Even before striking out on their own as business owners, Carrie Sartin and Jim Halvorson were similarly driven. Working together as stylists they shared a lot of the same passions outside of their career. They were both interested in gymnastics, eventually becoming coaches together at a local Twin Cities school and they were both committed to using their skills and their work to give back to a greater common good.
According to Jim and Carrie, CaJah Salon was the result of two creative minds spending a lot of time on common goals. In their own words, if two creative people with lots of energy spend enough time together, some schemes are bound to grow. As veterans of the beauty industry, they had worked together for a long time and gotten the feel for the salon industry, where stylists primarily contract out of different salons; after both working together and coaching together they felt that they had the chops to open their own salon and give their clients the service they expected as well as offering a warm, inviting, and most of all, fun space for both the stylists and the clients.
When they began looking for space for their new venture, Carrie and Jim started out trying to clear the first hurdle, space, they started with small humble spaces but as time went on they decided they need room to grow and for more stylists to rent chairs. They settled in on Snelling Ave in St. Paul at the intersection with St. Clair Avenue and they knew it was the right spot. Everyone of their visions from spaces for product, areas for both hair and make-up styling as well as multiple chairs for many stylists, their location was great. It was close enough to the salon they used to work for to offer their clients the same proximity as well as offering the perfect locale for their focus on giving back.
Long before CaJah, Carrie and Jim both had separate causes that they gave back to every year through their business. Carrie, as a breast cancer survivor has run a “Cut-a-Thon” in which they open their doors to clients and non-clients to come get a haircut and at the end of the day, all proceeds are given to Breast Cancer Education Association (BCEA) right here in Minnesota to benefit breast cancer education.
Being raised in a house with K9s, Jim hosts an annual benefit to support K9 police officers by providing necessary equipment for everyday operations such as kennels for their squad cars as well as bullet-proof vests for the K9s through the Hero K9 organization.
Through the years leading up to the creation of CaJah Salon to the incredible growth and support they’ve seen since, Carrie Sartin and Jim Halvorson have a created a space that is dedicated to education, service and most of all giving back to the communities they serve, taking their passions and skills and putting them to work for the common good.
To learn more about CaJah Salon, visit cajahsalon.com.