“I’ve been in the hair industry for eight years,” Jaeschke said. “Opening my own salon has always been my dream. We had this opportunity arise and decided it was time for me to go out on my own.”

She said this business venture is the culmination of her longtime fascination with hair care.

“I’ve always done hair,” Jaeschke said. “I would color my own hair in high school. I’d do my friends’ hair for dances.”

After high school, she tried college and an office job but quickly decided that they weren’t a good fit for her. Jaeschke said she concluded that the beauty industry was a better career choice. She completed the cosmetology program at La’ James International College in 2010. Prior to opening Salon Five One Five, Jaeschke worked at another salon for eight years.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen Salon Five One Five stylist Lexi Peed works on a client’s hair recently in their new opened shop at 1903 First Ave. S. in Fort Dodge.

The building that now houses the salon was previously occupied by Atlas Kitchen & Bath. To make it a state-of-the-art facility for a very different enterprise a major renovation took place.

“We did an intense remodel over three weeks,” Jaeschke said. “We used all local contractors. Everything is brand new in terms of the equipment we use for hair and nails. We have all new flooring. New paint. It’s been completely remodeled. It’s really exciting to be able to have complete creative control for the design of the building, the products, the stations. All that has been so fun.”

She said the salon has four chairs. Currently the team of hair and nail specialist consists of Jaeschke and one other stylist but staff expansion is being considered.

“We’re looking to hire a couple people,” Jaeschke said.

The business offers extensive options.

-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen Salon Five One Five owner McCallie Jaeschke works on a clients nails recently in the new shop at 1903 First Ave. S. in Fort Dodge.

“We are a full-service hair and nail salon,” Jaeschke said, noting that it serves both men and women and a broad spectrum of ages. “I have high-schoolers all the way up to people who are retired.”

She said one of the biggest challenges she faced was selecting the right products to use and sell.

“We use safe products that are ammonia, sulphate and cruelty free,” she said. “I was able to find KEVIN.MURPHY products. They are all very natural and do a lot for the environment. They have recyclable packaging. We are a green circle salon. That means that we will reduce our waste and be able to recycle our waste.”

The following statement on the KEVIN.MURPHY website suggests that its business approach is very much in sync with Jaeschke’s goals:

“When searching the world for our ingredients, KEVIN.MURPHY looked for companies that use micro cultivation, organic growing practices, or ecologically sound wild harvesting techniques to ensure the KEVIN.MURPHY range is of the very highest natural quality,”

One service Salon Five One Five offers that is somewhat unique locally, according to Jaeschke, is providing styling on the day of a major event such as a wedding, a dance or a photo session.

“We do a lot of event styling for weddings,” she said, explaining that the whole wedding party visits the salon. “They come in that morning. They all get their hair done and we send them on their way.”

Jaeschke said that she is enthused about the profession she chose as well as being in business for herself.

“I enjoy being able to have someone walk in off the street and look one way and leave looking another way, looking completely different,’ she said.

Jaeschke also said she finds developing connections and relationships with her clients to be a rewarding aspect of the work.

“I want be able to have a client-first mentality,” she said. “We want to focus on the clients, not on us. That’s my goal, to keep the focus on the clients.”

Events to introduce the community to the salon will take place Thursday. There will be a ribbon cutting at 4 p.m. Then from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. something else special will occur.

“Our event is called ‘Curls Night Out,'” Jaeschke said. “We’ll be having product demos on how to style your hair. There will also be some product deals and refreshments.”

Salon Five One Five has both a website and a Facebook page.

“We’re trying to stay on top of all the technology that is coming in the beauty industry,” Jaeschke said. “We have online bookings. We have extended hours to serve our clients. We can stay late or come in early.”

The salon is open Tuesday through Saturday. Appointments are recommended but walk-ins will be accommodated if possible, the owner said.