When people tell Bailey Wright she can’t do something, that only makes her want to do it more. That was one of the motivating factors behind Wright, at only 22 years old, opening her own business, Hey Gorgeous Beauty Salon in Stephenville. The business is doing well, and she’s already planning to expand.
Wright graduated from Dublin High School in 2020, soon after the start of the pandemic. After graduation, she began working to become a dental assistant. Completing training in a medical field was tough during COVID. “We had to be very, very, very cautious and wear PPE constantly,” she said.
When she finished her training, she started work at Dental Excellence Dentistry and Fastbraces in Stephenville. “I helped with braces and crowns and all that good stuff,” she said.
She also moved in with her now-husband, Gunner Wright. In 2021 they had their son, and Wright took some time off work to stay home with the baby.
Wright’s time off helped her realize what she really wanted to be doing. “I’ve always wanted to do hair and makeup,” she said. “So I waited until [my son] was about four months old and I decided to go to cosmetology school. And that’s where my career just leaped.”
After earning her cosmetology license from Ranger College, Wright found a job at Brush and Blush Salon in Stephenville. She stayed there for a year and a half, then decided to open her own business, Hey Gorgeous, early in 2024.
“The main reason why I opened is because I want to feel a family environment [at work],” she said. “When you walk in, I want you to be at home. I want it to be a home or you can come and relax and if you want a quiet and relaxing experience, let’s do it. I want it to be a safe place for anybody.”
She also enjoys having control over the offerings at the salon. “I like to be very clean, I like luxury, and I like to be a one stop shop,” she said. “I actually have a boutique in my salon at the moment, and I’m going to be opening up a head spa as well next month. We also do extensions and I am getting a nail tech.”
Hey Gorgeous currently has seven employees. “I love all my girls there,” Wright said. “It’s just been great.”
Right now, Wright is at the salon every day of the week. “I’m usually there Monday through Sunday from 7:30 to 6 every day,” she said. “On Monday mornings I go in, check on my products, make sure everything looks good for the week, and make sure I have all my bleach and colors lined up, ready to go. I get started with my first client at about eight o’clock, and that’s how my day usually goes. It goes until about six o’clock, when I go pick up my son.”
It’s a lot of work right now, but “I enjoy what I do,” Wright says. “That’s why I do it — I love it.”
Her favorite procedures are blonding and extensions, and she’s looking forward to the Japanese head spa, which will feature scalp treatments and massages for hair growth.
Wright plans to expand the business over the next few years, potentially opening another location out towards Weatherford.
When she’s not working, Wright enjoys shopping, and spending time in nature. “We like to ride ATVs and we like to be up in the mountains and go hunting,” she said.
She also loves spending time with her family and friends. Last August, Wright married her husband, who she’d been dating since freshman year of high school. The Wrights recently bought land and a house in Dublin, where they live with their son, Wayland, who is 2. Wright’s father, Quentin Noel, lives right down the street.
“I’ve gotten pretty lucky to have such a good family on my side who love and support me and my husband and everything we want to do,” she said. “And my husband, he’s about to start going to school, so it’s my turn now to push him through EMT school and Fire Academy.”
Wright’s advice for Dublin graduates is to stick to their goals. “Put your mind into being what you strive to be, because in the end, you’re going to get there if you keep the right mindset,” she said.
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.