As a child, Ashley Vera loved doing hair. “I was always wanting to do something different to my hair, and I’d do hair for whoever would sit still for me,” she said. “I’ve always loved doing it, and it just sort of blossomed from there.”
Vera graduated from Dublin High School in 1995, and went to beauty school in Stephenville. She finished her training in 1997 and began working at The Hair Affair in Dublin (since closed).
After a few months there, she started working at Smart Styles, the salon inside the Stephenville Walmart. “Back in those days, it was a busy shop,” she said. “We had a lot of business and I learned a lot in that salon.”
In 2001, Vera’s thenhusband was going to school at Texas State Technical College, so the family moved to Waco. Vera continued working at salons in the Waco area and building her skillset by attending training on different methods. “I had a couple of lead stylist positions, and I traveled to Los Angeles to study hair techniques,” she said.
Five years ago, Vera accomplished her long-time dream: to own her own salon. The business, called Oh La Vache (French for “Holy cow!”), is thriving. Vera holds trainings for her stylists, and enjoys taking part in community events.
On an average day, she’s kept busy keeping the salon running smoothly. “Between answering the phone, doing the laundry and things like that, I try to try to speak to every person that comes in the salon and call them by name and do a little bit of socializing at minimum,” she said.
“That fun stuff that comes with it. And I do their hair and we laugh and sometimes we cry and we just have a good time. It’s just a positive atmosphere.”
Vera also moonlights as a teacher at the local beauty college, and plans to continue working in education on the side as long as she has time to. “Teaching and training is a big part of what I do,” she said.
In the future, she plans to open another branch of her salon.
“It’s been a journey, but it’s absolutely fantastic to be a salon owner,” she said. “What I do for a living is both gratifying and emotionally fulfilling. It’s not just about the hair, contrary to what some people might think; it’s about how people feel. It’s very rewarding work. It really truly is.”
When Vera has free time, she enjoys spending it with her husband Juan Vera and her three children, Emily, 27, Linda, 25, and Philip, 17. She has one grandson, Mark, 9.
“When we can afford it, we like to travel,” she said. “We try to get somewhere at least once a year, usually it’s within driving distance.”
She also enjoys gardening and sewing. “I’m self-taught, but I’m learning and I love it,” she said.
Vera has enjoyed spending the past two decades in Waco. “It’s like a big little town,” she said. There’s a lot to do, but it’s still very much a small town mentality. There’s a lot of folks here that grew up here and know a lot of folks, and it’s a nice little community.”
Vera’s mother, Jeannie Dolberry, lives in Waco as well. Her father, Michael Mason, passed away in February.
Throughout her career, Vera has found inspiration in the artistic and creative freedom of her work, as well as the social aspect. “It’s a really great outlet,” she said. “Also, I love working with people. I love talking to people and sharing and having them share their lives with me. I’m so blessed that I have gotten to know so many wonderful, wonderful humans throughout the course of my career. And I’ve learned so much from so many people and just getting to know so many different personalities has really helped me to try to understand all different ways of thinking and different ways of acting.”
Vera’s advice to Dublin graduates is to make time in their lives to enjoy the journey. “It’s not like there’s a rose garden waiting for you at the end,” she said. “You’ve got to smell the roses along the way.” Editor’s Note: This column chronicles what Dublin graduates have done since high school. If you have any suggestions for other grads, email publisher@dublincitizen.com.