Dreamer Award Winner of 2022 Marie Rolla

Making Dreams Come True Inc. awarded Marie Rolla, Owner of Black Sheep Salon, the Dreamer Award for 2022. Marie has shown grit and determination in achieving her dream of owning and operating an inclusive salon, accessible to the extraabled/disabled community.

“Our space is fully wheelchair accessible.” Says Marie. “I have built a DIY portable shampoo bowl for clients who can not transfer (this was a whole separate journey!), our chairs have removable armrests for clients in larger bodies, and we have a private room for clients with autism, sensory sensitivities, or privacy concerns, we offer fragrance-free appointments and silent appointments, our cancellation policies are flexible for clients with chronic illness, we have medical grade air purifiers for the safety of our immunocompromised clients, and I have personally trained our staff to provide trauma-informed care for our clients (specifically our Black clients, as they are often the victims of traumatic salon experiences).

I am so proud of the business I’ve built. I stood strong for what I believed in and fought for my values. It cost me a lot to get here but I am so proud of myself for not compromising. I spent my entire savings and then some opening my space, did 90% of the construction, and buildout myself with friends while taking construction classes at my local community college, and was able to hire an entirely disabled staff of stylists who are also queer, trans, and Black.

I feel so proud that I’m able to create an accessible workspace for disabled and marginalized stylists like myself to operate their own independent businesses. I am seeing all of them flourish and I am so proud of them.

My own disability status has given me the gift of compassion and understanding. Coming to terms with being disabled taught me not to judge a person because you truly never know what life is like for them and what their experiences are that led them to where they are now. Disabilities can look different for everyone and I love being a part of a diverse community of people that come together. Opening my business gave me the opportunity to tune in to all the other disabilities that were different than my own and learn what life is like for other people. I’ve met so many amazing people along this journey and I love disabled people.

My future dreams are to expand my reach to be able to mentor more BIPOC and disabled cosmetology and barber students while being able to provide more free or affordable services to our community. My future plans for my online education include creating online guides for disability haircare and coloring courses that break down how to adjust your formulas and techniques to accommodate all races and hair textures, as the majority of current color education is taught from a Eurocentric lens.”