In Happy Valley, Arizona, Yvette Stumpf, a franchisee with Pigtails & Crewcuts, the 85-plus unit kids salon franchise, is turning an ordinary haircut experience into a learning and community engagement opportunity. Stumpf, who earned an education degree before starting her family, came to Pigtails & Crewcuts after spending time as a stay-at-home mom. As she has grown her business, she’s blended her own passion for learning and reading with her care for her community and the families in it.
“I’ve always been an advocate for education; I think that ignorance is not bliss,” she said. “It benefits everyone to be educated. I like Pigtails & Crewcuts because it’s a part of the community with the mom-and-pop type feeling, and one of my goals was to give back. That’s always been near and dear to my heart. With these two things in mind, the Little Free Library was the perfect idea. I’m in a great little shopping center, and people from neighboring establishments come check out the book selection, too.”
When Stumpf started the Little Free Library, she built it with her kids’ own used books. Over time, though, those have been “checked out,” and the community has kept the Little Free Library alive.
“I didn’t do this because it draws people back to the salon,” she said. “I did it because it makes the community more kid-friendly and more family-oriented. It’s being utilized.”
Stumpf’s passion for reading goes back to her own childhood. With a Colombian mother and Hungarian father, she grew up in a multilingual household.
"I speak three languages, and it was English that helped me move forward," she said. "When I was younger, my parents didn't help me separate all three languages. When you speak the other two, you don’t use pronouns. You just conjugate the verb. School for me was beneficial because English explained the pronouns, and reading was a big component to figure it all out."
As a child, reading felt like a chore for Stumpf because she was navigating the language learning aspect in addition to trying to understand the story itself, but over time, she came to love “reading to read.” Encouraging her own children to read for pleasure showed Stumpf a new side of things.
“My kids love books so much,” she said. “Reading is one of their ‘fun things’ to do. We go to the bookstore, and I can’t say no to books!”
This informed her current understanding of how kids approach reading, and it was a key driver for her not only to establish the Little Free Library but also to incorporate the Yoto Player, a screen-free audio player, into the salon experience.
“A lot of parents don’t want their kids to have phones, iPads or TVs now,” she said. “With the Yoto Player, a kid can hear a story and use their imagination to visualize what’s happening. It’s also a helpful tool for the kids who have a sensory need. With the Yoto Player, they’re able to sit there and focus on the story. Maybe it’s the vibration of the box or the voice of a specific reader, but they love these stories.”
“I think the books and Yoto Player are a natural fit for kids — especially all the different kinds of kids,” she continued. “We have the hardcover books with sensory elements, and the Yoto Player as an auditory option for kids who have different sensory needs. Some kids like visuals, some use their imaginations and some like to be read to. It’s about mixing it up so we can serve everyone.”
Stumpf spurred the literacy push in her salon and community, but its continued success has been driven by the passion and contributions of the entire community.
To stock the Little Free Library initially, she drew on her own family’s collection of children’s books, but the response from her team and community was immediate.
“Even our stylists were getting excited about the books,” she said. “There are beautifully illustrated books that the kids get really excited about. We had clients who got so engaged with the Little Free Library that they were just glowing and so happy about these books. It’s awesome.”
Over time, co-tenants at the shopping center have gotten involved in the effort, too. For example, there is a Bricks & Minifigs location in the same center, and they have contributed Lego books to the Little Free Library.
“That helps because our neighbors are encouraging reading, too,” she said. A couple of people locally have pitched in, and it’s been so worth it.”
The Little Free Library and Yoto Player may have brought more attention to Pigtails & Crewcuts of Happy Valley, but Stumpf said that was never the point. For her, giving back is simply part of how she wants the salon to show up in the community.
“We like giving back. It benefits us, but to me, it’s not a monetary benefit,” she said. “In the long term, it’ll be great for the kids. It’s something for the mind and the heart.”
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/pigtails-and-crewcuts.
Pigtails & Crewcuts
SPONSORED
Yvette Stumpf brings literacy into her Happy Valley, Arizona, kids salon with a Yoto Player and a Little Free Library outside the shop.
In Happy Valley, Arizona, Yvette Stumpf, a franchisee with Pigtails & Crewcuts, the 85-plus unit kids salon franchise, is turning an ordinary haircut experience into a learning and community engagement opportunity. Stumpf, who earned an education degree before starting her family, came to Pigtails & Crewcuts after spending time as a stay-at-home mom. As she has grown her business, she’s blended her own passion for learning and reading with her care for her community and the families in it.
“I’ve always been an advocate for education; I think that ignorance is not bliss,” she said. “It benefits everyone to be educated. I like Pigtails & Crewcuts because it’s a part of the community with the mom-and-pop type feeling, and one of my goals was to give back. That’s always been near and dear to my heart. With these two things in mind, the Little Free Library was the perfect idea. I’m in a great little shopping center, and people from neighboring establishments come check out the book selection, too.”
When Stumpf started the Little Free Library, she built it with her kids’ own used books. Over time, though, those have been “checked out,” and the community has kept the Little Free Library alive.
“I didn’t do this because it draws people back to the salon,” she said. “I did it because it makes the community more kid-friendly and more family-oriented. It’s being utilized.”
Stumpf’s passion for reading goes back to her own childhood. With a Colombian mother and Hungarian father, she grew up in a multilingual household.
"I speak three languages, and it was English that helped me move forward," she said. "When I was younger, my parents didn't help me separate all three languages. When you speak the other two, you don’t use pronouns. You just conjugate the verb. School for me was beneficial because English explained the pronouns, and reading was a big component to figure it all out."
As a child, reading felt like a chore for Stumpf because she was navigating the language learning aspect in addition to trying to understand the story itself, but over time, she came to love “reading to read.” Encouraging her own children to read for pleasure showed Stumpf a new side of things.
“My kids love books so much,” she said. “Reading is one of their ‘fun things’ to do. We go to the bookstore, and I can’t say no to books!”
This informed her current understanding of how kids approach reading, and it was a key driver for her not only to establish the Little Free Library but also to incorporate the Yoto Player, a screen-free audio player, into the salon experience.
“A lot of parents don’t want their kids to have phones, iPads or TVs now,” she said. “With the Yoto Player, a kid can hear a story and use their imagination to visualize what’s happening. It’s also a helpful tool for the kids who have a sensory need. With the Yoto Player, they’re able to sit there and focus on the story. Maybe it’s the vibration of the box or the voice of a specific reader, but they love these stories.”
“I think the books and Yoto Player are a natural fit for kids — especially all the different kinds of kids,” she continued. “We have the hardcover books with sensory elements, and the Yoto Player as an auditory option for kids who have different sensory needs. Some kids like visuals, some use their imaginations and some like to be read to. It’s about mixing it up so we can serve everyone.”
Stumpf spurred the literacy push in her salon and community, but its continued success has been driven by the passion and contributions of the entire community.
To stock the Little Free Library initially, she drew on her own family’s collection of children’s books, but the response from her team and community was immediate.
“Even our stylists were getting excited about the books,” she said. “There are beautifully illustrated books that the kids get really excited about. We had clients who got so engaged with the Little Free Library that they were just glowing and so happy about these books. It’s awesome.”
Over time, co-tenants at the shopping center have gotten involved in the effort, too. For example, there is a Bricks & Minifigs location in the same center, and they have contributed Lego books to the Little Free Library.
“That helps because our neighbors are encouraging reading, too,” she said. A couple of people locally have pitched in, and it’s been so worth it.”
The Little Free Library and Yoto Player may have brought more attention to Pigtails & Crewcuts of Happy Valley, but Stumpf said that was never the point. For her, giving back is simply part of how she wants the salon to show up in the community.
“We like giving back. It benefits us, but to me, it’s not a monetary benefit,” she said. “In the long term, it’ll be great for the kids. It’s something for the mind and the heart.”
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/pigtails-and-crewcuts.
Sign up for the 1851 Franchise newsletter to get our biggest stories before everyone else
By signing up, you agree to our user agreement (including class action waiver and arbitration provisions), and acknowledge our privacy policy.
No related articles found
