Published in The Macomb Daily newspaper, Mount Clemens, MI, Jan. 31, 2010.
By Heidi Bitsoli
Special to The Macomb Daily
Getting married is one of life’s most joyous events, while planning a wedding is easily the most stressful.
Brides-to-be often bask in bliss as they prepare to wed the one they love, but these ladies also suffer a lot of stress in the form of family squabbles, budget constraints and countless other problems that might arise while planning the big day.
Having seen what can happen when mothers and daughters disagree on matrimonial matters of the heart, Michelle Sims, coowner of Bella Rose Bridal Boutique, began offering brides-to-be a neutral zone, a Switzerland, if you will, of the wedding planning enterprise. Meeting of the Hearts sessions — or Sims’ bridal emotional boot camp, as she deems it — are held on-site at her salon in Shelby Township.
Sims and her daughter, Brittany Alfonsi, who is co-owner of Bella Rose and launcher of Argento Indulgence jewelry line, know all too well what brides go through. They have years of experience in the wedding business. Sims worked as a wedding coordinator for her own company, Bella Beginnings, for 12 years and managed Bridal Veils and Shoes in Sterling Heights for eight years before opening Bella Rose in January. Alfonsi also knows about the behind-thescenes joy and drama. She’s worked by her mother’s
side since age 13 and began officially working at Bridal Veils at 15, spending six years there, including two as assistant manager.
Not content to rest on the laurels of their frontline experience, the two enlisted the help of Sharon Pontillo, Sims’ cousin and best friend. Pontillo, being friend and family, has heard of the tears shed and the feuds played out in the salon. So she can understand the need for the workshops. What makes her an asset to the sessions is the fact that she has a master’s degree in social work and decades of experience in counseling — having worked with PACT and Turning Point.
Thus, Meeting of the Hearts was conceived.
“It’s never just about the veil,” said Sims, referring to what triggers squabbles. There’s always something else underlying the anger. After all, “the wedding day is pure emotion,” Sims adds.
The ladies hope to provide their clients with a cozy environment, offering a cappuccino, a cannoli, a flute of champagne and a setting that fosters heart-to-heart talks. Past the tiaras and veils up front is a room furnished with a glass dining room table, mural of a window looking outside, knickknacks and silver-gray walls that foster a sense of calmness.
“It’s so homey-like that we nearly had Thanksgiving dinner there,” said Michelle’s husband, Scott Sims.
It is also in this room that brides are “given a chance to express themselves,” Sims adds.
Sims has found that brides “need someone to listen,” a neutral third-party. “They want to be heard.” At Meeting of the Hearts, they plan to make it a place to get things off their chests.
With more second marriages, blended families, in-laws, step-families, older brides and more, it’s not easy when someone begins to bicker about a brooch or the cake. Sims has seen some doozies over the years, including the time she had to call the police after a mother and daughter locked themselves in the shop’s bathroom and argued loud and long.
The goal is to get beyond the small stuff and deal with what’s really lurking beneath. “If it’s about the things, eh ...” she said, with a wave of the hand.
“How awesome is it to settle differences and have a great day,” she said. A happy bride is an even more beautiful bride.
Sims has fostered good relationships as planner and unofficial peacemaker. She has been invited to weddings and baby showers.
Anyone curious about Meeting of the Hearts or Bella Rose Bridal Boutique can click on www.bellarosebridalboutique.com, call (586) 247-5000 or visit the shop at 48921 Hayes, Shelby Township.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Snip, Study and Start Over: Many Look to Beauty School for an Encore Career
Published in The Macomb Daily newspaper, Mount Clemens, MI, March 14, 2010
By Heidi Bitsoli
Special to The Macomb Daily
A recent study shows that a career in cosmetology may be — to pilfer Maybelline’s slogan — smart and beautiful.
From stay-at-home moms seeking to boost household income, to displaced workers such as former realtors and autoworkers to those deciding they want to follow a dream long cast aside, they are all finding beauty school as an encore career a beautiful option.
“The last couple of years, we’ve seen a big influx of career changers,” said Isabel Olivito, campus director at the Douglas J Aveda Institute in Royal Oak. “These are stable industries that won’t die out. People need to feel and look good.”
Some like the flexibility, the chance to work part time or around personal commitments. Some want to be creative, to make people feel better.
And, as Jim Cox, executive director of the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), said, “It’s not a field where you’re going to be replaced by a computer or your job is going to get shifted over to India.”
That’s one of the appeals, Cox said. “This is a pretty recession-resistant career field, and even in bad times people still want to look good.”
A recent study by the AACS found 78 percent of women ages 25-34 have taken steps to change or improve their career in the past year. The survey’s goal was to find what young people consider important in career selection. Findings include personal fulfillment, income potential and opportunities for creativity.
People in the industry report strong satisfaction working in cosmetology.
Satisfaction and security are definite draws. That’s why Michael Carrow is enrolled at the Douglas J Aveda Institute in Royal Oak. The Ferndale resident worked the last seven years in real estate. The market went downhill, so he decided it was time “to pursue a dream I had.”
Carrow did the research and was impressed by the industry’s stability and growth, plus he’d heard it was a happy field to work in.
All that was left was to choose, and Carrow was impressed with Aveda. There, “you’re already two steps ahead of everybody.” And the work is satisfying. It “makes you feel appreciated” to work with people.
Two of Shelby Township’s Regency Beauty Institute students agree the work is satisfying and an opportunity to work with people. Colleen Serio, of Sterling Heights, is moving from working in the family business as a legal secretary to pursuing cosmetology, and Stephanie White, of Washington Township, took a buyout from Chrysler after 14 years and decided the beauty industry looked more promising.
Serio had wanted to go to beauty school for years, and White, the mother of three, wanted more flexibility and income potential.
A job in the industry isn’t easy, though. Visit an area school and you’ll quickly learn why.
Both campuses offer career planning help, and will show you what you’re in for — tuition- and curriculum-wise, time commitments and more. On the plus side, you pretty much do get on-the-job training once you start to work with the public. (You’ll need a few hundred hours of schooling first.) And schools assist with job placement, business cards and resume building as well. Both institutes, as part of the tuition and training, give students a full kit, with mannequin heads to practice on, good scissors and more, so they’ll be equipped for the salon floor.
It’s not just curling hair or painting nails, though. You’ll work hard for the 10 to 18 months (depending if you’re part- or full-time) to get your cosmetology license, for which Michigan requires you have 1,500 hours of schooling. (Each state has different criteria.) After that, you will be able to do hair, makeup, facials and nails.
But it does take effort and ambition, said Lishonna Holland, assistant campus manager at Shelby’s Regency Beauty Institute. You need to work in the theory of beauty. You must know anatomy, chemistry and science and pass state testing requirements. As Holland puts it, “If you turn someone’s hair orange, you need to know how to fix it.”
To succeed, “you need to have the enthusiasm,” Holland said. “No one is getting you 20 clients. You have to get them.”
Olivito agreed. It’s “up to the student. You can be as successful as you want.”
It’s not necessarily cheap, either. Cox said some rural schools can cost $6,000 to $8,000 for tuition.
The higher-end schools can cost $15,000 or more, with a few climbing a bit north of $20,000. But in a year to 18 months, you’ll be ready to work.
“Personally, I think it’s a great return on your investment compared to some other training programs,” Cox said of the beauty industry. “I tell people, you’re in a field where your job is to make people feel better. You make them look better, and you get tips!”
The pay varies. Some can make $25,000 to $35,000 early on. Olivito said her school’s graduates make wages comparable to someone with a four-year degree.
Holland also touts the enduring popularity of the beauty industry. “We say, three people in the world make money: Doctors, beauty industry and undertakers.”
And it’s not just snipping hair or applying a mud mask, Cox said. There are “a lot of different career paths besides just standing behind a chair. That’s one of the things we’re highlighting in our campaign, Beauty Changes Lives. It goes in a lot of different directions. You can be a sales rep for a large beauty company or a teacher or a platform artist or go into management for chain salons.”
But to succeed, “You have to want it like Rocky, the ‘Eye of the Tiger,’” Holland said.
To find a school in your area, visit beautyschools.org.
To learn more about Douglas J Aveda Institute, visit www.douglasj.com.
To learn more about Regency Beauty Institute, visit www.regencybeauty.com.
By Heidi Bitsoli
Special to The Macomb Daily
A recent study shows that a career in cosmetology may be — to pilfer Maybelline’s slogan — smart and beautiful.
From stay-at-home moms seeking to boost household income, to displaced workers such as former realtors and autoworkers to those deciding they want to follow a dream long cast aside, they are all finding beauty school as an encore career a beautiful option.
“The last couple of years, we’ve seen a big influx of career changers,” said Isabel Olivito, campus director at the Douglas J Aveda Institute in Royal Oak. “These are stable industries that won’t die out. People need to feel and look good.”
Some like the flexibility, the chance to work part time or around personal commitments. Some want to be creative, to make people feel better.
And, as Jim Cox, executive director of the American Association of Cosmetology Schools (AACS), said, “It’s not a field where you’re going to be replaced by a computer or your job is going to get shifted over to India.”
That’s one of the appeals, Cox said. “This is a pretty recession-resistant career field, and even in bad times people still want to look good.”
A recent study by the AACS found 78 percent of women ages 25-34 have taken steps to change or improve their career in the past year. The survey’s goal was to find what young people consider important in career selection. Findings include personal fulfillment, income potential and opportunities for creativity.
People in the industry report strong satisfaction working in cosmetology.
Satisfaction and security are definite draws. That’s why Michael Carrow is enrolled at the Douglas J Aveda Institute in Royal Oak. The Ferndale resident worked the last seven years in real estate. The market went downhill, so he decided it was time “to pursue a dream I had.”
Carrow did the research and was impressed by the industry’s stability and growth, plus he’d heard it was a happy field to work in.
All that was left was to choose, and Carrow was impressed with Aveda. There, “you’re already two steps ahead of everybody.” And the work is satisfying. It “makes you feel appreciated” to work with people.
Two of Shelby Township’s Regency Beauty Institute students agree the work is satisfying and an opportunity to work with people. Colleen Serio, of Sterling Heights, is moving from working in the family business as a legal secretary to pursuing cosmetology, and Stephanie White, of Washington Township, took a buyout from Chrysler after 14 years and decided the beauty industry looked more promising.
Serio had wanted to go to beauty school for years, and White, the mother of three, wanted more flexibility and income potential.
A job in the industry isn’t easy, though. Visit an area school and you’ll quickly learn why.
Both campuses offer career planning help, and will show you what you’re in for — tuition- and curriculum-wise, time commitments and more. On the plus side, you pretty much do get on-the-job training once you start to work with the public. (You’ll need a few hundred hours of schooling first.) And schools assist with job placement, business cards and resume building as well. Both institutes, as part of the tuition and training, give students a full kit, with mannequin heads to practice on, good scissors and more, so they’ll be equipped for the salon floor.
It’s not just curling hair or painting nails, though. You’ll work hard for the 10 to 18 months (depending if you’re part- or full-time) to get your cosmetology license, for which Michigan requires you have 1,500 hours of schooling. (Each state has different criteria.) After that, you will be able to do hair, makeup, facials and nails.
But it does take effort and ambition, said Lishonna Holland, assistant campus manager at Shelby’s Regency Beauty Institute. You need to work in the theory of beauty. You must know anatomy, chemistry and science and pass state testing requirements. As Holland puts it, “If you turn someone’s hair orange, you need to know how to fix it.”
To succeed, “you need to have the enthusiasm,” Holland said. “No one is getting you 20 clients. You have to get them.”
Olivito agreed. It’s “up to the student. You can be as successful as you want.”
It’s not necessarily cheap, either. Cox said some rural schools can cost $6,000 to $8,000 for tuition.
The higher-end schools can cost $15,000 or more, with a few climbing a bit north of $20,000. But in a year to 18 months, you’ll be ready to work.
“Personally, I think it’s a great return on your investment compared to some other training programs,” Cox said of the beauty industry. “I tell people, you’re in a field where your job is to make people feel better. You make them look better, and you get tips!”
The pay varies. Some can make $25,000 to $35,000 early on. Olivito said her school’s graduates make wages comparable to someone with a four-year degree.
Holland also touts the enduring popularity of the beauty industry. “We say, three people in the world make money: Doctors, beauty industry and undertakers.”
And it’s not just snipping hair or applying a mud mask, Cox said. There are “a lot of different career paths besides just standing behind a chair. That’s one of the things we’re highlighting in our campaign, Beauty Changes Lives. It goes in a lot of different directions. You can be a sales rep for a large beauty company or a teacher or a platform artist or go into management for chain salons.”
But to succeed, “You have to want it like Rocky, the ‘Eye of the Tiger,’” Holland said.
To find a school in your area, visit beautyschools.org.
To learn more about Douglas J Aveda Institute, visit www.douglasj.com.
To learn more about Regency Beauty Institute, visit www.regencybeauty.com.
Family fun at Art & Orchard Festival
Published in The Macomb Daily newspaper, Mount Clemens, MI, June 11, 2010.
By Heidi Bitsoli
For The Macomb Daily
Washington Township’s annual Super Sunday happening just got more super with the addition of an Art & Orchard Festival taking place June 12-13 in the downtown area.
The festival, a companion to the Paint Creek Center for the Arts’ fall Art & Apples Festival in Rochester, also features arts, eats and children’s activities.
Ellen Hughes, marketing director of Paint Creek Center, said Washington Township and the Washington Lions wanted the Center’s involvement because of its art festival winning streak. The goal was to grow the township’s June Super Sunday weekend, which traditionally featured a carnival with a pancake breakfast, chicken dinner, 5K run and more. All that is still there, but the additions take some inspiration from the Art & Apples Festival, including a showcase for dozens of artists, children’s activities
and a Taste of the Township. By expanding the Super Sunday weekend, Hughes said, the goal was to “make the festival more of a destination.”
The fun includes:
• Washington Lions Carnival through June 13.
• Art: June 12-13, more than 75 artists from the tri-county area display and sell their creations in many media, including textiles, watercolor, woodworking, glassblowing, pottery and jewelry.
• Antiques and Garage Sales: An Antiques Appraisal and Sale takes place 10 a.m.-5 p.m. June 12-13.
Visitors can shop for valuables or find out what theirs are worth. A Garage & Antique Sale continues 8 a.m.-5 p.m. through Sunday.
• Food: Taste of the Township, 2-7 p.m. June 12, features fare from approximately a dozen area eateries.
The 52nd Firemen’s Pancake Breakfast is served 8 a.m.-noon June 13; $7 adults, $4 ages 6-12; free 5 and younger.
The Lions Chicken Barbecue runs 1-6 p.m. June 13.
• Music: The festival includes Concerts in the Park with Air Margaritaville 7-8:30 p.m. June 12; beer tent with karaoke, 4 p.m.-midnight today, noonmidnight June 12 with music by Nocturnal, and noon-7 p.m. June 13.
• Children’s fun: The Kids Art Zone, includes make-and-take art projects, and the Kids Art Maze sends children along a winding path where they can spot art along the way and have a chance to win prizes.
Other activities:
• Chalk Art Contest, 10 a.m.-8:30 p.m. June 12.
• 5K Fun Run at the Macomb Orchard Tail, 8 a.m.-noon June 12.
• Tug-O-War Contest at the Township Hall, 2-4 p.m. June 12.
• Golf Crawl, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. today.
• Classic Car Show, 5 to 8 p.m. today.
• Family Square Dance, 6 to 10 p.m. today.
The weekend event is partnered with the township and the Washington Lions, and presented by Paint Creek Center for the Arts. The festival benefits several area organizations, including Washington Lions, Friends of the Octagon House, Greater Washington Historical Society, Samaritan House, Romeo-Washington-Bruce Township Recreation Departments as well as Paint Creek Center for the Arts.
Hours for the Art & Orchard Festival are 10 a.m.-8 p.m. June 12 and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. June 13 at Washington Township Park, 57900 Van Dyke, on the northeast side of 26 Mile and Van Dyke roads, and in the downtown area between the elementary school and the Octagon House. A free shuttle service is available at the Meijer lot at the northwest side of 26 Mile and Van Dyke, at First Baptist Church (Saturday only) and the 27 Mile and Van Dyke Plaza parking lot. For more information and a complete list of activities, artists and locations, visit www.artandorchard.com or www.washingtontownship.org/
Art_Orchard_Fest.html.
The Macomb Daily, Oakland Press and Advisor & Source newspapers are among the media sponsors for The Art & Orchard Festival.
By Heidi Bitsoli
For The Macomb Daily
Washington Township’s annual Super Sunday happening just got more super with the addition of an Art & Orchard Festival taking place June 12-13 in the downtown area.
The festival, a companion to the Paint Creek Center for the Arts’ fall Art & Apples Festival in Rochester, also features arts, eats and children’s activities.
Ellen Hughes, marketing director of Paint Creek Center, said Washington Township and the Washington Lions wanted the Center’s involvement because of its art festival winning streak. The goal was to grow the township’s June Super Sunday weekend, which traditionally featured a carnival with a pancake breakfast, chicken dinner, 5K run and more. All that is still there, but the additions take some inspiration from the Art & Apples Festival, including a showcase for dozens of artists, children’s activities
and a Taste of the Township. By expanding the Super Sunday weekend, Hughes said, the goal was to “make the festival more of a destination.”
The fun includes:
• Washington Lions Carnival through June 13.
• Art: June 12-13, more than 75 artists from the tri-county area display and sell their creations in many media, including textiles, watercolor, woodworking, glassblowing, pottery and jewelry.
• Antiques and Garage Sales: An Antiques Appraisal and Sale takes place 10 a.m.-5 p.m. June 12-13.
Visitors can shop for valuables or find out what theirs are worth. A Garage & Antique Sale continues 8 a.m.-5 p.m. through Sunday.
• Food: Taste of the Township, 2-7 p.m. June 12, features fare from approximately a dozen area eateries.
The 52nd Firemen’s Pancake Breakfast is served 8 a.m.-noon June 13; $7 adults, $4 ages 6-12; free 5 and younger.
The Lions Chicken Barbecue runs 1-6 p.m. June 13.
• Music: The festival includes Concerts in the Park with Air Margaritaville 7-8:30 p.m. June 12; beer tent with karaoke, 4 p.m.-midnight today, noonmidnight June 12 with music by Nocturnal, and noon-7 p.m. June 13.
• Children’s fun: The Kids Art Zone, includes make-and-take art projects, and the Kids Art Maze sends children along a winding path where they can spot art along the way and have a chance to win prizes.
Other activities:
• Chalk Art Contest, 10 a.m.-8:30 p.m. June 12.
• 5K Fun Run at the Macomb Orchard Tail, 8 a.m.-noon June 12.
• Tug-O-War Contest at the Township Hall, 2-4 p.m. June 12.
• Golf Crawl, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. today.
• Classic Car Show, 5 to 8 p.m. today.
• Family Square Dance, 6 to 10 p.m. today.
The weekend event is partnered with the township and the Washington Lions, and presented by Paint Creek Center for the Arts. The festival benefits several area organizations, including Washington Lions, Friends of the Octagon House, Greater Washington Historical Society, Samaritan House, Romeo-Washington-Bruce Township Recreation Departments as well as Paint Creek Center for the Arts.
Hours for the Art & Orchard Festival are 10 a.m.-8 p.m. June 12 and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. June 13 at Washington Township Park, 57900 Van Dyke, on the northeast side of 26 Mile and Van Dyke roads, and in the downtown area between the elementary school and the Octagon House. A free shuttle service is available at the Meijer lot at the northwest side of 26 Mile and Van Dyke, at First Baptist Church (Saturday only) and the 27 Mile and Van Dyke Plaza parking lot. For more information and a complete list of activities, artists and locations, visit www.artandorchard.com or www.washingtontownship.org/
Art_Orchard_Fest.html.
The Macomb Daily, Oakland Press and Advisor & Source newspapers are among the media sponsors for The Art & Orchard Festival.
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