Supporting Local Businesses: Green Peridot Salon

I'm so proud of my good friend Katie Wright, owner of Tallahassee's Green Peridot Salon.  Besides being a stylist extraordinaire, Katie is a leader in our local community, offering passion and purpose to all she touches.  It's no surprise then that Katie was recently named one of Tallahassee's Top 25 Women to Know.

I swear,  Katie and the environment she's cultivated at Green Peridot should be Zagat rated for the deliciousness and flavor they bring to our community.

Below is the text of an article written about her in the Tallahassee Democrat.

25 Women You Need to Know: Service is a family tradition for Green Peridot owner Katie Wright

By Elizabeth M. Mack
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER

Katie Wright gets a thrill out of serving people. For one, she does it almost every day in her salon, Green Peridot. So, it's not too much of a stretch that she would carry on the excitement through the community.

"I like doing things in the community," said Wright, who has been selected as one of the Tallahassee Democrat's 25 Women You Need to Know. "I think it is part of being a human being that you would want to be a part of something and doing something for someone other than yourself."

Adam Wright said his sister inherited her commitment to serving the community from her family, which has been serving the Tallahassee community since the 1920s.

Katie Wright said she recalled stories that her grandmothers, Phoebe Rogers and Mary Wright, used to tell her about companies that would still serve customers even if they didn't have any money during the Great Depression.

"I thought, I want to be remembered like that," she said. "They were people who saw people as people and not dollars."

That's what's inspired her to do the same at her salon during these tough economic times with "Katie's Secret Service." The program allows existing Green Peridot customers who have lost their jobs to get their hair done for free, but it's a secret service that not even the stylist knows is being used.

She also has volunteered with the American Cancer Society and Boys and Girls Clubs.

Kelly Dozier has been a loyal customer of Wright's for seven years. She believes that aside from being a young successful businesswoman, Wright possesses many other qualities.

"Katie always makes sure all her clients feel comfortable and relaxed," Dozier said. "More than that, she's one of the most generous people I know, always looking to help someone else."