When Calgary was hit by the recession, Jeff Wade started to look for an opportunity that wouldn't ride the ups and downs of oil and gas. “My wife and I both worked downtown for a long time and we were ready for something new. We knew we wanted to start a business,” Jeff says. Calgary is becoming known for its large community of entrepreneurial-minded citizens, and Jeff knew he wanted to create a business where that sort of mindset would be fostered. And though neither Jeff nor his wife are stylists, today Citizen Salon in Mission serves as both a beauty community and a space for entrepreneurs to start their own businesses.
Prior to opening Citizen Salon Studios, Jeff worked in finance, real estate and sales while his wife worked as a banker. With this background, the couple felt equipped with the skills to pursue entrepreneurship on their own. “We wanted to stick with what we knew,” he says. After a bit of brainstorming, they secured a modern space in Mission and the professional beauty community of Citizen opened in April 2017.
