We had the good fortune of connecting with Emily Rae Arbogast and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Emily Rae, what role has risk played in your life or career?

I believe we truly can not get anywhere in life without risk. Risk is Inevitable if you really think about it. You never know what you’re capable of until you push yourself, you take the risks to achieve the things you dream of. From the very beginning we all had to take a risk of falling when we learned to walk and in that same example, we all fell a few times. We don’t always see reward from every risk that we take but if we never give up & never stop learning, the rewards will eventually come. I look at risk as an opportunity & in my present day life my most recent risk has been to start my own business & open my own Hair Salon. This had to be a calculated risk. I had to really think about if I was ready to quit working for other salons and give up that security of a steady paycheck & ease of no responsibility, just show up to work & do my magic. So I weighed my risk. I knew the responsibility, hard work & stress would be tremendous but I also knew my passion was immeasurable. I had been in the industry 13 years with a highly successful career, fully booked out for months at a time & I knew I could teach others how to do the same. I had seen all of the wrong and right ways I personally thought things should be done & I saw how people were treated. I knew I could create better & I think that belief in myself and that same belief from my husband as well, is what really helped me take the risk.

Now a year and a half later we are a thriving successful salon of 4 stylists & currently expanding into a larger space to fit even more incredible talent. This risk reaped a reward for me, but that’s not to say others hadn’t in the past. The key is that I never stoped learning and I never gave up on me. I hope you never do either… wishing all of you the greatest rewards to your risks.
-Emily Rae Arbogast


Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
For over a decade, I’ve worked in the beauty industry around the U.S & witnessed many different ways hair salons are run & hair is done. Through this experience, I’ve had the opportunity to see what works & what doesn’t when it comes to salon business plans, customer service, how stylists are treated, stylist skills, training, how clients are valued etc. and now I’m sharing my take aways with both clients & stylists. Being in the hair industry is a dream for a lot of individuals but some find themselves disappointed that their salon experiences don’t live up to that dream they once had. With salons taking too much cut of their services, enduring salon drama, no recognition & being tied to the chair with no vacation & no room to grow. Being left with wanting to be a part of something BIGGER. I want to start the change for all of this. Now clients far too often in the hair industry, are looked at as a number or a paycheck rather than a person. Rushed in and out the door repeatedly without the actual love and care for the client. I’ve always been big on building genuine relationships with my clients, truly listening to what is it is they want & need as well as so much more. I am excited to be making this change and starting a new ‘ERA’ for both stylists & clients in my new salon.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

If i had a friend visiting the houston area i would start with brunch at Postino Wine bar in the heights. So delicious, incredible service & great atmosphere. I personally love the museums in houston as well. Childrens museum is great if they have kids as well as the museum of natural science for families or couples.
One of my favorite local breweries is actually here in Kingwood called ‘Megaton’. A family owned brewery with indoor outdoor areas, live music, arcade games, cornhole, pool tables and a food truck on the weekends. Thats my favorite place to relax with a great beer. And lastly out favorite thing to do is load our boat up with drinks & snacks and spend a day out on lake Houston with friends.

Nightlife downtown we like to hangout at little woodrows with a good drink, music and cornhole if you’re lucky enough to snag some bean bags.

For great instagram esthetic ‘The secret Garden’ in downtown houston is a beautiful place to lounge with deliciously creative drinks.

Kau ba is a Vietnamese Cajun fusion restaurant in montrose, with incredible food, fun atmosphere and great drinks. We use this as our girls dinner out place.
If you want a little of everything Pitch25 sports bar in houston has it all. A great atmosphere to hang out, great food and drinks, sports playing, sports to play in groups, party rooms etc.

The houston zoo is a given as a great day.


Who else deserves some credit and recognition?

I would absolutely shoutout my husband William Arbogast for being my biggest supporter in life. He truly pushed me to start my own salon, instilled so much belief in myself & has just been my biggest cheerleader. I truly married my person.

Website: https://www.vagaro.com/us04/erabeautylounge

Instagram: @Mrs.EmilyRae_Hair @ERA_BeautyLounge

Image Credits
Nh Photography By Naomi Howard

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