Sip and Style: Crafting Local Elegance and Community Resilience Through Every Pour and Style
By The Greater Bakersfield Chamber
Embrace a new era of vibrant and satisfying salon visits! Bakersfield’s very own blow dry bar salon, Sip and Style has revolutionized the local hairstyling experience. With 28 years in the hair industry, Owner Shelly Guess recognized the nationwide trend of blow dry bars and decided to introduce one to her beloved hometown of Bakersfield.
Sip and Style pampers their clients with luxurious products such as Oribe, Kèrastase, Bio Ionic and Gama Professional, exclusive to a few salons in Kern County. From blowouts, bro-outs, hair styling, scalp massages, makeup artistry and beyond, this blowdry and makeup bar curates custom services suitable for all, regardless of gender or age. Each service includes a beverage (alcoholic or non-alcoholic), ensuring a relaxing experience while being pampered.
Sip and Style celebrates its second anniversary this month and Guess reflected on how her journey started. “I self-funded my business, I laid the floors and painted the walls,” said Guess. “I put my blood, sweat, tears and a lot of fear into it.”
Since its grand opening, Sip and Style has shown consistent growth in profitability, earned a nomination for the Beautiful Bakersfield Small Business of the Year Award and significantly contributed to the local community. However, navigating the realm of small business ownership has its share of difficulties. “Being a California-based small business owner is already hard with the extra challenges and hoops you have to jump through but having employees is the hardest part,” she said. Juggling responsibilities that include overseeing Sip and Style, managing the employees, booth rentals and attending to her clientele, Guess acknowledges the challenge of balancing it all.
On top of managing her business, Guess is also actively engaged in nurturing the next wave of hairstylists, serving on the current board for Kern High School District Regional Occupational Center (ROC). A former ROC student herself, she takes pride in mentoring, guiding and inspiring students through the difficulties of the industry.
“The success rate is very low so trying to help them, especially at that young age of 17 and 18, to know how to succeed is something really passionate to me,” she said.
Guess also instituted an apprenticeship program at her salon, designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the industry. Apprentices delve into blowouts, customer service skills and the art of generating income. “They start making money and that’s the thing, making money allows them to supplement their next step in whatever service it might be,” elaborated Guess.
She takes immense pride in Sip and Style, considering it a gateway for entry-level professionals entering the industry, “Being able to teach the new generation the importance of customer service is important because no one has to come to my business, they choose to come,” said Guess.
She noted that providing exceptional customer service and human-focused store policies are what help her business thrive. “I provide more old school mom and pop customer service… things happen in life and to be more understanding is what I like to do,” said Guess.
As a member of the Greater Bakersfield Chamber, Guess has recognized the significance of supporting local businesses. She highlighted the unwavering dedication of local community business owners, emphasizing their promptness in showing support, making donations and contributing to the community.
She leverages her salon as more than just a service hub; Guess offers booth rentals to support emerging businesses and hairstylists seeking more visibility. She regularly organizes a Sip and Shop event aimed to elevate the presence of her products and current tenants Rolling Pistols.
“I like to try to help smaller vendors by holding collaborative events and providing them with a space to showcase and sell their products,” said Guess.
Sip and Style is impacting lives beyond hair and makeup. Its influence extends to the community acting as a driving force for positive change. “You’ve got to keep money here so that our community keeps growing… do what you can to get your things local because it keeps flowing through everyone here,” stated Guess. Explore all the services and event bookings at https://sipandstylesalon.com/ or follow them on Instagram @sipandstyle_blowdrybar.
You can find Chamber member businesses to support by visiting the map and directory on our homepage at www.shoplocalshopnow.com and support small businesses by visiting locally owned stores. Shop Local, Shop Now is sponsored by the Kern Women’s Business Center.
Shop Local Pays Off To Community in More Ways:
Sip and Style’s Owner, Shelly Guess, brought a touch of magic to her salon by granting a Make-A-Wish dream. Last December, alerted by a caring client, Guess discovered Evann Sloan’s wish to become a hairstylist despite battling a life-threatening heart condition that prevented him from being cleared for formal in-person training.
Pursuing his passion in the hair industry seemed unattainable until Guess, aided by the Bakersfield Ronald McDonald House, orchestrated the realization of Sloan’s dream.
Without hesitation and not long afterward, she successfully fulfilled her first Make-A-Wish request for Sloan, whose entire life was previously centered around hospitals due to multiple health challenges that demanded extensive surgeries.
She constructed a personalized home salon for Sloan, equipped with all the necessary tools to kick-start his career. Guess ensured Sloan’s professional growth by inviting him to her classes, providing him with valuable exposure to the industry.
