Jon Stojan
Shaina Bowen, founder of Weavology Boutique and HERSS
Artistry wears many faces, inspiring creatives with each passionate brush stroke, every melodic tune, or impactful storytelling. For Shaina Bowen, that feeling was sparked by the rhythmic sound of scissors as they swiftly cut one hair lock after another, leaving her with the addictive ‘snip-snip’ noise reverberating in her mind. Now, as the owner of Weavology Boutique Weave Bar – a custom-made wig shop – and a passionate hairstylist, Shaina honors that uplifting feeling by providing her clients with nothing but excellent service, ensuring they feel and look good.
That dedication blossomed in Shaina’s childhood when she would collect scraps of hair off her aunt’s salon floor, transforming them into beautiful creations. Those masterpieces would then adorn the once-bald heads of her Cabbage Patch Kids, giving each toy a distinct identity and vibrant personality. As a kid, Shaina would also cut the long hair off her other dolls, gluing the strands onto tights and knee highs she stole from her mom and turning them into wigs for babies.
In 1st grade, Shaina moved on from dolls and toys, with her siblings being her first human customers. As she got older, friends, family, and friends of friends started seeking her services. “I never planned for it to happen,” she adds. “My hairstyling journey took on a life on its own, and there was no stopping it.”
Despite an undeniable infatuation with the world of haircuts, blow dries, and wigs, Shaina used to think of styling merely as a passion and a side gig. In her professional career, she was an executive assistant working full-time for a corporate law firm in Boston, studying to become an attorney. Juggling between responsibilities, she lost her sense of fulfillment. One evening, after working late, Shaina’s determination to turn her life around took control, prompting her to never return to the office and fully commit to her passion.
That bold step she took at 19 resulted in Shaina commuting to clients’ houses, always traveling between towns and neighborhoods. While at first, that model worked seamlessly, with Shaina’s services gaining traction and more clients swarming in, she couldn’t spend so many hours stuck in traffic or driving anymore. To overcome that challenge, her partner at the time and his best friend built a salon in Shaina’s basement, allowing her to work without leaving the house.
With growth always comes change, and that is exactly what happened to Shaina. As she expanded her portfolio and clientele, her services caught the attention of more and more people, including strangers. Concerned about the safety of having clients in and out of the house, she opened her first salon. Since then, she has owned multiple facilities across the state, developed an organic, non-GMO, plant and herbal hair care product line proven to stimulate hair growth, and established another venture—HERSS (Heal, Exhale, & Rebuild in a Safe Space), a nonprofit dedicated to helping female victims of domestic violence.
That endeavor was inspired by Shaina’s personal experiences as a domestic violence victim. She has lived through darkness others can’t imagine, coming back into the light despite the partial paralysis the abusive relationship left her with. Always striving to make a difference in the world, Shaina has bared her soul in Love Doesn’t Hurt, her self-published book delving into the bleakness of domestic violence, the struggles of leaving, the dangers of staying, and the courage to keep living.
Looking into the future, Shaina hopes to transform her online Weavology University into a brick-and-mortar facility, expanding her impact and spreading knowledge about the art of weaving. “Now, I’m a hairstylist with a degree in Criminal Justice and Psychology, and I wouldn’t change it for the world,” she shares. “I love making people feel good, and that’s what hairstyling is all about—boosting my clients’ confidence and nurturing their self-esteem.”