Mary Allison Yager & Alyssa Moore began working at Glow as teens and began dreaming of one day owning the store. A great dream, hard work and a passion for the business and community paid off for them.
Tell our readers a little about you both?
Alyssa: I am a Marketing Specialist at Thompson Tractor in Birmingham! I married my husband, Andrew, in October 2019. We have two German Short Haired Pointers, Jordan & Driver, who we adore. When I’m not at Thompson or Glow, you can me spending time with friends and family, riding the rzr with my husband, or starting some type of home project!
Mary: I am starting my fourth year as a 6th grade math teacher at Bragg Middle School, where I also coach the volleyball and tennis teams. I married my husband, Austin, in March of 2020. We have a very spoiled pup, Penny. When I am not at school or Glow, you can almost always bet I am at the pool, lake, or the beach.
You both became owners of Glow on September 1, 2020, but you were involved with the business for a few years before buying the company. Tell us about your journey with Glow and how you decided to come together to purchase the business?
Mary: I began working at Glow in 2015 and never left. What I thought was just a part-time job turned into so much more. Alyssa and I started working together at the salon and had an instant connection, our love and passion for Glow. We would spend countless hours at Glow talking about the dream of one day owning Glow ourselves. When the chance came, we really couldn’t believe it at first. We talked to many friends and family, some who told us never to go into business with our friends because it rarely ever works out how you want it to. We are now nearly two years into this journey, and I am so glad we took the leap of faith, at 22, and made our dream a reality, alongside our best friends.
Alyssa: We both worked at Glow all throughout college. The more we worked, the more we fell in love with the business and clientele. We both always shared the same love for being at Glow, whether we were at the salon cleaning, pricing lotion, or talking with clients, it always just seemed like we were meant to be there. We used to work shifts together and sit up there all hours of the night just talking about what we wish Glow could become and all the things that we would do if we owned it, not thinking that we would ever have that opportunity, especially at 23. When the opportunity arose for us to purchase Glow, it was an easy decision to make this ‘dream’ a reality.
Did you have a plan for the business when you decided to purchase it? Were there products or services you wanted to bring to Glow that you thought of just being involved in the business before becoming owners?
Mary: We had many aspirations for Glow, once we were finally becoming the owners. We wanted to make sure to make Glow our own, from changes inside to social media presence to new services. Since taking over in 2020, we have made several improvements in the salon, including adding a second spray tan room; to offer more availability to our clients, upgrading beds, giving the inside a ‘face lift’, and we recently added a red light therapy bed. Red light therapy is 100% UV free, non-invasive, and non-toxic. This technique uses wavelengths of light to treat various skin problems such as fine lines, wrinkles, recurring cold sores, scars, and so much more. We wanted to add this service to Glow after many requests from our clients. We love the confidence boost that all of our services provide.
You have 8 UV tanning beds, but spray tanning seems to be the “go to” service. How have spray tans changed over the years? Have they gotten better over time?
Mary: UV tanning is still a big part of our business, but the spray tan side is growing rapidly. Clients come in often scared of how it will turn out because of previous spray tanning experiences. We are here to ensure that each client leaves Glow feeling more confident and loving their tan. We have two spray tan solutions, each that are customizable to each client’s wants, whether it’s a natural glow or a dark tan. We have both been spray tan artists for nearly 8 years and are always looking to learn and improve techniques and offer trusted products to best serve our clients.
Alyssa: While we still have a great UV tanning side of the business, spray tans are hard to beat. The instant results and the instant confidence boost that we see these men and women have after we are done is priceless. Together we have 15 years’ experience in the tanning industry, including spray tans. Just like anything nowadays, everything is changing and improving constantly. Thankfully spray tans have come a long way from booth tans and the infamous ‘Friends’ episode where Ross decides to try it out. We have two different solutions that both provide instant and custom results for each client. We constantly are trying and learning new techniques, staying on top of trends, and researching new products to ensure that we provide the best products and results to our clients.
What do you believe makes Glow so successful locally?
Mary: There are several components to Glow’s local success. Since we have been working at Glow for so many years now, we have created and grown relationships with our clients. These clients are the first to offer help when needed, refer a friend our way, or let us know when something needs our attention. We also owe some of our success to our loyal clients who leave us reviews or tag us in pictures on social media. To some, that may seem a small gesture, but to a small business, it means the world.
Alyssa: I believe that there are a few things that make Glow a success. One is the relationships that we have built throughout the years. We have clients who have made an impact on our personal lives and become dear friends. We have a clientele that we can trust to refer their friends our way, give their honest opinions, as well as show us grace when we need it. We also owe some of our success to our employees; we believe in hiring people that believe in our business, value relationships, and are hard workers. Our past and current employees make Glow special.
You are located in Mount Olive. What makes Mount Olive a special place to own a business?
Mary: Alyssa and I both have such fond memories here, as we both grew up in the area. Our favorite part of Glow being in Mt. Olive, is all the support we have been shown from other women-owned small businesses. We have worked side by side with these ladies to support each other and the community we serve, and we cannot wait to see where the future holds for us all!
Alyssa: Mount Olive is such a special place for both of us. I have grown up in Mount Olive and watched it grow throughout the years. Something that we love about being here is that there are so many other small women-owned businesses who we have great relationships with. This tight-knit community has shown us nothing but love and support throughout our journey. We cannot wait to see what the future holds for us and Glow! Fun fact: my great grandfather actually built the building that we are currently in!
