The 2018 Best of Moffat County barber and hair stylist is Shey Ellis, owner of Stylz 5th Avenue.

She attributes her success to a work ethic she learned from her father.

“Thanks to my dad, who has always been hardworking and sometimes worked two and three jobs to make ends meet … I decided six days a week is what you needed to be successful,” Ellis said. “People like availability. People like to walk in. People want instant satisfaction. We try to make ourselves as available as we can.”

Ellis has owned the shop for three and a half years.

“When I bought the salon, I kept the name. … I updated, revamped and tried to make the business even better,” she said.

The salon offer $13 cuts for men every Friday and a different special every month. It also provides free haircuts for children at the end of summer during Love INC’s back to school fair.

“This year will be our third year offering Hair Cuts in the Park to give back to the community a little bit,” she said.

Ellis became a cosmetologist to make a living by being creative.

“It’s artistic, but you actually make money off it. I wanted to go to art school, but no one makes money off of that,” Ellis said.

She continues to feed her passion for art by finding inspiration for do-it-yourself projects on Pinterest. When she has the time, she enjoys woodworking and painting, but running a full-service salon six days per week fills the bulk of her schedule.

“People think, when they go into this, (that) it’s easy. There’s a lot more to it than that. You can’t just walk in here and make $300 a day and walk out. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to do this. A lot of blood sweat and tears,” Ellis said.

She described days when she’s so busy she finds herself mixing color and “stuffing my face with lunch. My desk is a constant disaster.”

She thinks that, with the addition of three more qualified barbers in the shop, business is likely to will grow.

“We don’t just have women’s magazines; we also have men’s magazines so that men don’t feel awkward and out of place,” Ellis said. The staff works had to create a relaxing, friendly and welcoming.

“We’re not uppity,” she said.

Despite the long hours, Ellis said, “I love what I do, so it’s never really working.”

Contact Sasha Nelson at 970-875-1794 or snelson@CraigDailyPress.com.