Fresh Face: Rise Above Hair Studio

Ashley Matlock was having a bad day. But when she got in the car, iconic punk band Black Flag’s song “Rise Above” was playing. We are born with a chance. Rise above! We’re gonna rise above! I am gonna have my chance. Rise above! We’re gonna rise above! “This is what I’m going to name my salon,” Ashley recalls thinking. Ashley had been a beloved stylist on Bethlehem’s South Side for the last ten years since graduating from Paul Mitchell’s The Vision Academy in 2008. But she had begun to feel it was her time to grow (no pun intended!) and do her own thing. Her new salon, Rise Above Hair, opened in January.

She wanted to stay on the South Side because of the community there. “I love this location and area,” she says. “Everyone’s so helpful and kind. Everybody knows each other, everybody helps each other, and that’s really nice.”

Walking into Ashley’s salon, you’ll see the upbeat punk rock aesthetic decor, with many of the colorful posters and other artwork coming from her friend Andy Po at HomeBase. If you’re lucky, you’ll meet Ashley’s sweet and friendly pup, Dottie, who will lie by your feet while you get your hair done. Ashley has a flair for cuts with character. “I do a lot of texturized short haircuts,” she says, “and a lot of blonding, fashion color with Pulp Riot.” She also enjoys helping male clientele, and has a great men’s hair care line, Reuzel.

After less than six months, Rise Above is already growing. “So the five year plan is to bust out of here and have a bigger space,” still on the South Side, she says. Ashley hopes to hire another stylist this summer and be fully staffed by the end of the year, too.