- Glitter and Fade Kid's Salon and Social Suite provides specialized services to children, including those who are living with autism.
- I stopped in Glitter and Fade on South Cedar and spoke with the owner, Kelsey Simpson, and the Allen family about their experience with the salon
- In the attached, you'll hear about the Allen family's journey to finding the perfect barber shop for their son, Teddy.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
I'm your neighborhood reporter, Asya Lawrence, and for some of my neighbors, a haircut can be pretty simple: just come into a place like this and get it done.
But I talked with a family who told me, with their son who's living with autism it can be more of a challenge. I'm talking with a barber who's trying to help.
Kelsey Simpson has been a barber for nearly 20 years, but she knew that she wanted to make a change and provide a location where all children could feel comfortable. So she opened Glitter and Fade Kid's Salon, which started at Grand Ledge.
Then Simpson moved the salon to South Cedar Street as one of Lansings's only sensory-friendly children's salon. Simpson says part of her routine is asking clients questions to make sure they're comfortable as they're getting their haircut.
"Not having super loud noises, not having people who are screaming and hollering, it makes a big difference for them, so being able to deliver that to children from 1 year old to 12/13, I even have an 18-year-old so it really helps," Simpson said.
In her time in the Lansing neighborhood, she has built a clientele of our neighbors.
One of them is Teddy.
"You're doing so good!" Simpson said to Teddy.
"My oldest has not had a hard time at other barber shops, but Teddy definitely needed something different," said Zackery Allen, Teddy's dad.
When they first started coming, Teddy had some difficult experiences trusting barbers and feeling comfortable in a typical barber shop.
"He did not like the razor. It really took time," Simpson said.
And now, one year later, Teddy, along his two siblings are all able to enjoy the salon experience together, and his parents are able to relax knowing their son is being treated no differently than any other child.
"Teddy has been doing so well with haircuts. I don't have to try to hold him down; he doesn't scream at all, he doesn't freak out, and he's having fun. He's laughing at the end of it," Allen said.
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