Growing up, the only award young Elaine Palmer won was for most talkative person.
Now she is happy she has "the gift of gab." She takes her gift to workevery day at her hairstyling-business and has honed her natural talents.
"The gift from my career is I can deal with any person in this world,"Palmer said.
Communicating with clients at her hair salon is important, but a greaterpriority to Palmer is communicating with her family.
The young mother moved here because of her family. She wanted her twochildren to attend Fox Chapel Area Schools. She found not only a place forher children, but also a home for herself.
At first Palmer and her two children rented an apartment across from St. Edward Catholic Church onWalnut Street. The rooms reminded her of the ambiance of the old houseon Pittsburgh's North Side in which she grew up. However, she was traveling to takethe youngsters to daycare and then going to Ross Park Mall to work in asalon there.
Every day she passed a nail salon in Blawnox. One year after moving there,in 1994, she opened her business, and in 1995, she married. Herhusband, Michael, who has Palmer Construction Company, then built their house.
While the list of changes would strike fear with many people, Palmer said she feltcompletely comfortable before she made a move.
Her move to open her own business has proved a good one for her. Herfamily brainstormed the name and came up with the combination of the 'e'from Elaine and 'clips' for cutting hair. Now the salon has become a family place whereher nieces and nephews work and where her sister is employed. Thereceptionist married her brother and moved into her neighborhood on SummitDrive. Hiring and working with the hairdressers who work at Eclips is noproblem.
"I'm not a boss, I'm a friend," she said.
Although she is the owner of the shop, she considers herself a hairdresserfirst. To her that means being an artist.
"I have color, I have a paint brush, and I have carpal tunnel," she joked.
Before she works on any client, she consults to find out what theindividual wants. It's the communicating which makes a difference, shesaid.
Because she believes in service first, she often works 40 to 50 hours. Buther most important hours are spent with her children. Expecting anotherchild, Palmer and her family look forward to time with Carson or Karson -- namesthey are thinking about.
They especially enjoy their house in upper Blawnox. Designed and built bythe couple, it is an eclectic mix of sunlight, antiques, color, andnatural materials.
Moving forward with business, family and home is work, butit comes naturally to Palmer, who claims to be naturally energetic. She said shedoesn't even have time for morning sickness. Additional Information:
