Pigtails & Crewcuts

For many entrepreneurs, one successful location is the start — not the end — of the journey. That’s especially true for franchisees with&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pigtailsandcrewcutsfranchise.com/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=why-these-franchisees-chose-to-grow-with-pigtails-crewcuts-and-how-the-brand-helped-them-do-it-2729623" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Pigtails &amp; Crewcuts</a>, a brand designed for scalability, family balance and long-term impact. Whether they started with an existing salon or built from the ground up, these multi-unit owners all saw the same thing: a brand that not only delivered results but backed them every step of the way as they expanded.<h3>Mark Hammond and Ziggy Watrous: From Retirement to Multi-Unit Ownership</h3>For Mark Hammond and Ziggy Watrous, it started with a lifestyle change — and a realization that retirement wasn’t enough.“I used to do hair before we moved to Costa Rica and retired,” Hammond said. “We got bored and came back and figured, ‘Let’s buy a hair salon.’”Watrous, a former Army member and health care administrator, had never worked in a salon. But Hammond’s passion for the industry and their shared drive to start something new led them to explore the opportunity together. In October 2023, they purchased an existing&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/pigtails-and-crewcuts/info">Pigtails &amp; Crewcuts</a> location in the Alliance area of Fort Worth, Texas.“We really liked the brand and what they stand for,” Watrous said. “Six months after we took over the first salon, we knew we wanted to grow with them.”Their second location is now in development in Northlake, Texas — an underserved area where the demand for family services is booming. “They’re building 30,000 homes in that area,” Watrous said. “We’ll be the first salon in the neighborhood, and there are three elementary schools within a mile. It’s the perfect demographic.”Along the way, the Pigtails &amp; Crewcuts team made the expansion process easier, especially when lease negotiations delayed the buildout.“They were flexible and understanding,” Watrous said. “We also appreciated the open conversations around shifting territories and the willingness to adapt as we grew.”One standout aspect of the Fort Worth salon is a sensory room designed for neurodivergent children — something the brand wholeheartedly supports.“We’ve created a quiet space for kids with autism or sensory sensitivities, and Pigtails &amp; Crewcuts has provided resources to help our stylists work with these families,” Watrous said. “It’s a difference-maker in our community.”<h3>Heather Arnold: Growth That Supports Family Life</h3><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/hmarnold2018/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=why-these-franchisees-chose-to-grow-with-pigtails-crewcuts-and-how-the-brand-helped-them-do-it-2729623" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Heather Arnold</a>, a franchisee in Clermont, Florida, is preparing to open her second salon this summer. For her, franchising with Pigtails &amp; Crewcuts offered something few other models could — the ability to grow a business while staying present for her family.“I still work part-time and have two little kids. I’m very active in their schools and day-to-day needs,” Arnold said. “I still work a lot, but that’s just the way I choose to do it. I’ve chosen to be 100% involved in the day-to-day things with my kids, and sometimes that means working on my business late at night. But it’s nice that Pigtails &amp; Crewcuts gives me that flexibility to ‘do my life’ and have this other thing that I’m very proud of.”That flexibility made it easier for Arnold to consider expansion. Once her first location became self-sufficient, the timing felt right.“Prior to about a year ago, I probably wouldn’t have seriously considered growth. I liked how everything was going. It was smooth and comfortable, and I didn’t want to put more on my plate,” Arnold said. “But recently, we decided we were ready for a little bit more. The first location was self-sufficient, so it was a good time to open a second.”With support in site selection, marketing, training and operations, Arnold had the tools she needed to replicate her success in a new market without sacrificing her personal commitments.<h3>Shana Adler: From Turnaround to Fresh Start</h3>For&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/shana-adler-76a503186/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=why-these-franchisees-chose-to-grow-with-pigtails-crewcuts-and-how-the-brand-helped-them-do-it-2729623" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Shana Adler</a>, the journey to multi-unit ownership began with a turnaround. She purchased a struggling Pigtails &amp; Crewcuts salon in Montclair, New Jersey, and worked hard to turn it around while raising her growing family.“I’ll always remember walking the streets of Montclair, pregnant with my fourth child, putting postcards into mailboxes to spread the word about the salon and its new ownership,” she said.After years of success in Montclair, Adler opened her second location in Teaneck, New Jersey, in February 2025 — this time, starting fresh.“The first was a clean-up job. This time, it was about site selection, hiring a great staff and getting the word out,” Adler said. “It’s been exciting.”Throughout her journey, Adler credits the Pigtails &amp; Crewcuts team for encouraging her and providing reliable support as she expanded.“The Pigtails team has encouraged me for years now to open a second salon, and they were there for my questions and support along the way,” she said.&nbsp;<h3>Warin Epstein: Confidence From Experience, Passion for the Process</h3><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/warin-epstein-099893a/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=why-these-franchisees-chose-to-grow-with-pigtails-crewcuts-and-how-the-brand-helped-them-do-it-2729623" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Warin Epstein</a> and his team operate four Pigtails &amp; Crewcuts salons in Central Florida — three of which were acquired as existing locations, with the most recent one built from the ground up. For Epstein, growth wasn’t just a business goal — it was a way to deepen his understanding of the brand and build a long-term, sustainable enterprise.“We purchased our first three Pigtails &amp; Crewcuts locations as existing, operational salons. It was a great way to jump in, learn the systems, and get a feel for what makes this brand so special,” Epstein said. “After gaining confidence in how we were operating the business and getting those locations used to the new ownership, we felt a strong pull to open one from the ground up.”Opening a location from scratch gave Epstein’s team a more immersive look into the mechanics of the brand, from buildout to first customer, which helped them become more effective leaders.“Through the opening process, we’ve gained a much deeper understanding of the foundational systems that make the Pigtails &amp; Crewcuts brand successful,” he said. “That experience made us better owners, better leaders and more connected to the day-to-day work that drives long-term success.”Managing four locations comes with its own challenges, but Epstein attributes consistency to both strong internal leadership and corporate support.“We’re fortunate to have a strong, passionate General Manager who truly believes in the Pigtails &amp; Crewcuts brand and oversees all four of our locations,” he said. “At the same time, we’re actively focused on growing leadership organically within each individual salon to help support our GM.”One of the biggest lessons Epstein has learned is the value of thoughtful hiring. “We’ve become much more discerning in our hiring process,” he said. “It’s far better to be short-staffed than to bring in the wrong person. A poor experience — especially for a child’s first haircut — is hard to recover from.”As for the corporate team, Epstein says their ongoing involvement has helped his business stay strong and prepared for growth.“The franchise system has been a very important part of our growth,” he said. “From branding to operational tools, the support provided by the corporate team helps us daily. Having access to established systems, vendor relationships and marketing resources is the exact reason we looked to get into the franchise space and not go it alone.”<h3>Building a Business That Builds Balance</h3>Whether it’s Hammond and Watrous focusing on underserved families in Texas, Arnold juggling motherhood and entrepreneurship in Florida, Adler bringing new life to a second location in New Jersey, or Epstein building a four-location operation rooted in strong leadership and brand passion in Central Florida, each franchisee has found something special in the Pigtails &amp; Crewcuts model: a business that fits their lives and values.From flexible business hours to hands-on corporate support and a mission-driven culture, Pigtails &amp; Crewcuts gives multi-unit owners the chance to scale with confidence and purpose.&nbsp; As the brand continues to grow, so do the opportunities for franchisees to make a meaningful impact, one location at a time.To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit&nbsp;<a href="http://1851franchise.com/pigtailsandcrewcuts">1851franchise.com/pigtailsandcrewcuts</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Why These Franchisees Chose To Grow With Pigtails & Crewcuts — and How the Brand Helped Them Do It

Why Franchisees Are Expanding With Pigtails & Crewcuts

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Pigtails & Crewcuts franchisees from around the country share their journey to multi-unit ownership and talk about the support that made expansion possible.

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In Happy Valley, Arizona,&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/a-safe-haven-for-kids-haircuts-yvette-stumpf-marks-four-years-of-pigtails-crewcuts-in-phoenix-arizona-2729794">Yvette Stumpf</a>, a franchisee with&nbsp;<a href="http://www.pigtailsandcrewcutsfranchise.com">Pigtails &amp; Crewcuts</a>, 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&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/pigtails-and-crewcuts/info">Pigtails &amp; Crewcuts</a> 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 &amp; 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.”<h2>A Lifelong Advocate for Education</h2>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.&nbsp;“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.”<h2>The Little Free Library as a Shared Community Investment</h2>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 &amp; 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.”<h2>Purpose Beyond Profit</h2>The Little Free Library and Yoto Player may have brought more attention to Pigtails &amp; 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&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/pigtails-and-crewcuts.">https://1851franchise.com/pigtails-and-crewcuts.</a>&nbsp;

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Yvette Stumpf brings literacy into her Happy Valley, Arizona, kids salon with a Yoto Player and a Little Free Library outside the shop.

Pigtails & Crewcuts Franchise Owner Champions Children’s Literacy in Salon and Beyond

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How Pigtails & Crewcuts Franchisees Like Angel Putnam Are Making a Difference Beyond the Salon

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Tech Leader Signs 3-Unit Deal To Build a New Legacy With Pigtails & Crewcuts Franchise in Chicago

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<a href="https://www.pigtailsandcrewcutsfranchise.com/">Pigtails &amp; Crewcuts</a>, the children’s hair salon franchise, is targeting Miami and the rest of the Southeast Florida market for franchise development. Currently, the franchise has a strong presence in Central Florida, but no existing locations in the southern part of the state.&nbsp;“Our existing Florida locations are doing fantastic, so there’s a lot of validation,” said&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-holliman-2132313/">Michelle Holliman</a>, Vice President of Franchise Development. “All of southern Florida is still available, and they have great demographics. We’ve been doing market analysis and we see a lot of kids and population growth, and the median and average household incomes really match our target audience.”&nbsp;Florida's population has&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thecentersquare.com/florida/article_4c96744e-c143-11ef-829c-bb17727f2977.html">grown by over 8% since 2020</a>, with Southeast Florida being the most densely populated region in the state,&nbsp;<a href="https://floridadep.gov/southeast">home to more than 7 million people</a>, about one-third of Florida's total population. Almost 30% of households in&nbsp;<a href="https://statisticalatlas.com/county/Florida/Miami-Dade-County/Household-Types">Miami-Dade County</a> alone have children under the age of 18.&nbsp;“You have so many different types of families in Southeast Florida. There’s so much diversity in different types of hair and the opportunity to be able to cut children's hair in that market is fantastic,” Holliman said. “This would be great not only for our haircuts, but also for our other services, like ear piercing. We do a lot of different things that would match the market.”<a href="https://1851franchise.com/pigtails-and-crewcuts/info">Pigtails &amp; Crewcuts’</a> existing Florida owners have been successful, and most have expanded. For example, Warin Epstein has grown to five units in Central Florida, while&nbsp;<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/hmarnold2018/">Heather Arnold</a>, who started with one location in Clermont, added a second in Davenport last year.&nbsp;“The franchise system has been a very important part of our growth,” Epstein said. “From branding to operational tools, the support provided by the corporate team helps us daily. Having access to established systems, vendor relationships and marketing resources is the exact reason we looked to get into the franchise space and not go it alone.”The franchise encourages prospective Florida owners to talk to these franchisees themselves to get a real idea of what it's like.&nbsp;“They do a fantastic job not only explaining their experience of what it took for them to open their own business, but also what kind of support they get,” Holliman said. “I tell my franchise prospects, I want them to give you the good, the bad and the ugly of what it means to own a business.”<h3>Why Pigtails &amp; Crewcuts Succeeds No Matter Where It Goes</h3>One of the best things about opening a children’s hair salon is that demand never goes away. No matter the situation, kids need haircuts.&nbsp;“You might go six to eight weeks to get a haircut, but you need a haircut,” Holliman said. “It’s a service that any family needs. We make the experience worthwhile. That's why our customers love coming to Pigtails &amp; Crewcuts. Getting a haircut might be scary for their child, or their child might have sensory sensitivities. We make them feel more comfortable. And that's the beauty of our brand.”Pigtails &amp; Crewcuts wants to ensure it's offering that experience in markets it believes would be a great fit. Southeast Florida is wide open, and there’s plenty of room for single or multi-unit operators to reach as many families as possible in areas like Miami, St. Pete, Tampa, Sarasota, Naples and more.&nbsp;To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit&nbsp;<a href="https://1851franchise.com/pigtails-and-crewcuts">https://1851franchise.com/pigtails-and-crewcuts</a>.

The franchise has already seen success in other parts of the Sunshine State. Now, it is looking to expand in southern areas like Miami, where there are no locations yet and plenty of opportunity.

Pigtails & Crewcuts Sees Southeast Florida as a Strong Market for Kids Hair Salon Franchise Development

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Why These Franchisees Chose To Grow With Pigtails & Crewcuts — and How the Brand Helped Them Do It

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