(calm music) - I was born in Minneapolis.

I've always worked in Minnesota.

We're kind of like how I see it in the heart of West Duluth.

Where have you been parting your hair recently?

Being an outsider and servicing the locals.

It's fun and it's, it's, it can be kind of challenging sometimes too.

Eventually, hopefully I'll be able to open up a larger location and actually have a collective team.

- Oh, is that the goal?

Is that your goal?

- That will be the, the next goal that I have.

Going on your own is always scary.

It's always scary.

Because you don't know what's going to happen, but again, like what I always tell everybody, too.

You won't know until you try.

I'm Lawkong Vue.

We're at Jakal öpe Hair Spa.

This is my salon that I just opened up.

I went to the Aveda Institute in 2008 and graduated in 2008.

I studied cosmetology.

The first salon that I worked at was an Aveda salon down in the cities.

In St. Paul actually.

And they, they taught me a lot.

They taught me how to treat my clients as gold.

The first business that I had was LaVuj hair studio in St. Paul.

I rented out a small space probably half the size of what my salon is here now.

Did that for the first four years.

My husband is from Superior.

And so that was one of the factors that made us move up here.

And the second reason was just having a middle life career crisis.

And I'm like, "I've done a lot of stuff already in the short time that I've been in my career."

And my ultimate dream was to open up a salon.

And then I found my location here.

And then finally opened up Jakal öpe in November, 2019.

- You get to be your own boss, so I bet that is amazing.

- Yes, I get to be my own boss.

I get to call the shots.

I really do like it.

And I think that is definitely the American dream.

You know, being your own boss.

I've always been a strong believer.

Open a business because you can do it better.

Not because you want money.

I kind of just came into West Duluth right off of Central and 35 W. It was kind of costly to, to open it up.

All of the paints, all of the shampoo bowls, my station.

Once we got that down, it was then just getting the momentum of getting my clients back in my chair again.

A lot of people are looking for one-on-one services and direct answers.

When you call Jakal öpe Hair Spa, you get me.

You, you know, you, you text, you get me.

You call, you get me.

I feel as if like Duluth we're, we're, we're pretty good with the mask mandation.

- Yes!

- I feel as if like everywhere else it's, it's a hit or miss.

My first shutdown was I believe at the end of March.

So I closed officially when the state officially closed.

And then I opened up when the state officially let us open up on June 1st.

Nobody knew that this was going to happen.

This, this closing.

With the sanitation, I still kept it very similar regardless who comes in, who goes out.

And you know, I'm not working with anybody else until the minute you leave.

And, and so a lot of people value that.

Personally it affected me more with my mental health.

I think that was the biggest thing.

Especially with me being such a caregiver.

I couldn't have the, I couldn't have that, that human touch that I've always been able to do.

Even during the midst of COVID.

I'm like, if I, if I couldn't touch anybody more, I'm like, I can't do what I do anymore.

So I have to look at a different career, and I just didn't want to stop.

Cause I, I'm so passionate with what I do.

And I love taking care of people.

- It's like West Duluth is popping.

- We have, yeah, Wussow's, Annex, myself, the Zenith bookstore.

- Oh yeah.

- Now that I have rooted here in West Duluth with my Jakalope Hair Spa and also rooted in Gary with my personal life.

(sprays) Now I'm like on my next adventure.

I'm like, what's next?

You know, how big is Jakal öpe gonna be?

You know, what's, what's going to be our next step?

It's beautiful.

- I have to take a picture of this.

Oh my goodness!

- Only gonna get lighter and lighter.

This is not the first and last time you're gonna hear about me.

(giggles) I think that's yeah, I'm here.

I'm here for good.

(cheery music) Funding for Intersections is brought to you by the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund and the Citizens of Minnesota.