Hair Hut – MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis.—Mandy Jane Ashenfelter said even in difficult times, she was grateful for starting The Hair Hut three years ago.
“I’m not here to get rich,” he said. “If it were, I wouldn’t be here, but I’m very grateful, and it’s worth it.” Inside what looks like a tiny house on Appleton Ave. in Menomonee Falls, Ashenfelter works his magic. She cuts the hair of everyone who passes by, asking only for a dollar 10 donation.
“Everything I do comes right back into the business, and I haven’t raised my prices since I started because I want everyone to be able to come and get their hair cut,” he said. . “Every other place has increased the price, but I want to be able to keep charging $10. So I get to work earlier and stay out later.
Ashenfelter came up with this idea about ten years ago. She has worked weddings and beauty school photoshoots and said she never had an organized space to store her tools.
“You would be in the woods or at someone’s house, and you would need a space to store your things and a comfortable place to put the model,” he said. “I thought, why not do it for the haircuts too?”
The Hair Hut opened at the start of the pandemic, which Ashenfelter says was just in time. “People like to come here because it’s an open concept, and they feel safe,” he said. “There are not many people in the unit, and you are outside.”
Sean Timmons is a regular at The Hair Hut and a loyal Ashenfelter customer. “I love supporting small business owners, and I’ve had a small business myself before,” he said. “Mandy is friendly, and it’s not as expensive as anywhere else.”
Marlene Shaefer has also been coming to The Hair Hut since the beginning. He said Ashenfelter is more than the person who cuts his hair; now, she is part of the family.
“The first time we met, I was almost like a granddaughter,” Shaefer said. “Now I have to call her if I don’t see her here and text her and say, ‘Are you okay? You’re supposed to be here.'”
Family is the real reason why Ashenfelter also created The Hair Hut. The single mother did it to help support her 10-year-old son, Iren.
“He was my inspiration to do this,” he said. “I brought tables for a long time, and when I had my baby boy, I realized it wasn’t going to work out and nights away from him are too hard.”
He also credits his mother for being a constant support system. “She’s my real rock; without her, I wouldn’t be here,” Ashenfelter said. “He is fortunate to have wonderful grandparents.”
Ashenfelter does everything for his family, whether it’s related to them by genetics or the promise to always open doors for them. It led her to leave behind a life of alcohol addiction and give back to her community, come rain or shine.
“Even in winter during a snowstorm, I try to get here, and so do the customers,” he said. “It’s worth it even if I open the doors to someone because someone needed that break or conversation.”
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