Pin-ups Hair Design and its owner style for today, yesteryear
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Adorned with pictures of Katy Perry look-alikes, which owner Robert Ramirez explains are the photos of staff members, Pin-ups Hair Design is a sleekly modern salon in midtown Ventura that specializes in the latest glamour girl styles, along with any other style one might desire.
The shop also represents the culmination of a lifelong dream for the 45-year-old Ramirez of Ventura.
He and wife Melanie, 46, had been part-owners of a bicycle shop when they were in their 20s, which led to Robert working at Diamondback Bicycles in Camarillo, where he was a sales/marketing representative.
“I realized how the further up the ladder you go, the more conservative you have to be,” said the heavily tattooed Robert Ramirez. “I had always had the idea in the back of my mind of doing something creative.”
He had always liked hair salons, so he went back to school, giving up his nights and weekends to Lu Ross Academy in Ventura, where he trained to be a stylist.
Melanie said she supported the change.
“From the very beginning when we were dating, he always expressed an interest in hair,” she said. “Throughout the time he was in sales, he wanted to do hair.
“He was very opinionated about hair and fashion,” she said, as Robert nodded emphatically.
Robert said he was partially inspired to chuck his “secure, solid job” after he was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident in 1996.
“It wasn’t something that came right away. It’s not like a lightbulb went off or anything. But I made a decision that life’s short. Let’s not put off things,” he said.
Daughter Sarah Ramirez, now 25 and living in San Francisco, also was accepting of her father’s new career path.
Next month, the Ramirezes will celebrate Pin-ups, which continues to thrive in a down economy, with a party and car show at the shop.
The third annual party, on Sunday, Aug. 9, is a hybrid event, celebrating both Ramirez’s good work and his Aug. 6 birthday. His band, Big Chief Radio, will perform live, with Robert on guitar.
The community is welcome.
“We want everyone to come out and celebrate with us,” Robert said.
Ventura roots
Robert started off at DeCuts, which he described as the seminal salon in Ventura County where all the county hairstyling heavyweights, including Billy Yamaguchi, went to study their craft. He eventually bought the salon.
For her part, Melanie trained to be an esthetician, so she could focus on facials, waxing and mild chemical peels, giving up her job as an in-home day-care provider.
Four years ago last month, Robert bought Pin-ups; for the past two years, it has been located almost directly across from Ventura High School in midtown, at 2280 E. Main St.
Piecing together the financing by whatever means possible, Robert and Melanie took over the space once occupied by Yon Hui Clothing and transformed their half of the space into the sleek, streamlined operation it is today, complete with a hair-color bar, with the help of Apex General Contractors of Ventura.
“No one wants to sit and stare at themselves in a mirror with foil and stuff all over their head,” Robert said.
The color bar is equipped with silver chairs that were salvaged from DeCuts and reupholstered. It faces a flat-screen television, which patrons can watch as they sip on a nice, non-alcoholic beverage.
He says the Pin-ups idea wasn’t meant to be trendy.
“We came up with pin-up hair before the current fad to evoke the glamour of vintage styles,” he said.
But Melanie said the salon isn’t geared just toward young people and Pin-ups can do any kind of hairstyle no matter what the age or style.
“We want to be edgy, but also warm and welcoming,” Melanie said.
Out on the town
In addition to the salon, Robert also has been making a name for himself as a hair designer for photo shoots. He proudly displays some photos including some in Traditional Rod & Kulture Illustrated magazine of model Dayna Delux, whose hair he styled, and a photo of himself at the Playboy Mansion.
As noted on his Web site, Robert was picked by recording artist/DJ Dimitri of Paris to do hair for his promotional photo shoot at the Playboy Mansion.
“The shoot was with two Playboy models and had a ’60s James Bond feel to it,” the site states. “It was a fantastic experience.”
Robert and Melanie also have put a lot of time and effort into their online presence.
“A girl from Kansas isn’t going to come in here, but she might buy our products online,” Ramirez said, referring to their unique Pin-ups T-shirts and other clothing.
Robert won’t sell hair products without a consultation.
“We’re a different type of salon, a different concept; I’m inspired by shapes, forms and sounds,” he said. “The fact that it is different helps. Pin-ups wasn’t established in response to a trend.”
Eyes to the future
Robert said that people who want to reinvent their lives must be prepared for the hard work it entails, along with keeping expectations in check.
“I want everything to be the very best it can be. I want everything epic,” he said. “But I’ve learned the ability to be patient — to understand that everything’s not going to be this huge, grandiose thing right out of the box.
“To be a good business owner,” he said, “you have to have drive, some humility and a sense of humor and a good work ethic. It’s all about hard work.”
Robert admits he can be hard-charging.
“I’ve learned to consider what to bring up,” Melanie said, pointing to a staff photo they decided to have put on their business cards. “I had the idea of a team photo where we could all look very nice. I barely got the thought out when he had it booked with a photographer. I didn’t have a chance to lose weight or anything.”
Robert said that despite really enjoying his life these days with a successful, and apparently recession-proof, business that’s just minutes on foot from his midtown home, he still has big plans for the future.
“I would like to open another shop in a different state,” he said.
And stay tuned; he’s also got plans to star in an upcoming Discovery Channel project that he described as a “docu-soap.”
“It’s about this salon and the adventures within the business and outside photo shoots and car shows,” he said.
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