Comics, Tattoos & … Haircuts? Inside An Unexpected BHAM Salon
What do comic books, tattoos, and Barbie have in common? At Kista Hamilton’s one-woman Birmingham salon, more than you might think. Image: Rosalind Fournier
In the first few weeks after stylist Kista Hamilton opened her one-woman salon on First Avenue North, she met her clients out on the sidewalk to escort them in. She was afraid they might be confused by the storefront, which reads Sanctum Tattoos & Comics. But yes, this is the right place.
Inside, she leads them through the comic-book shop to one of the smallest hair salons you’ll ever see, and quite possibly the only one with a Barbie theme! A pink shag rug softens the concrete floor; the wall is decked out in pink-and-orange wallpaper.
While she highlights, colors, trims, and styles her clients’ hair, other customers head upstairs to the tattoo parlor.
On paper, comics, hairstyling, and tattoos seem like an unlikely combination — especially the salon part. But for Kista and her loyal client base, somehow it all makes sense.
Kista moved into her new space about a year ago, when the salon where she previously worked was sold. She could have stayed under the new ownership, but her husband, Aaron (who co-owns Sanctum), had a different idea.
For comic-book aficionados and tattoo trendsetters, Sanctum Tattoos & Comics is a fan favorite. The shop sells a range of popular, indie, and local comics as well as graphic novels and children’s books. Reviewers call it “nerd heaven” and “a funky combo,” noting that “everyone here is super rad.”
Upstairs, four tattoo artists (including Aaron) specialize in everything from horror cinema iconography to “wild and original” designs, though everyone’s primary focus is on whatever the client dreams up.
When her husband suggested she share his space, Kista took a chance. She loved the idea of a one-woman shop, and Arcadia at Sanctum was born. (Arcadia was the salon she left, which now goes under a different name.)
The first challenge was to give the space its own identity while still complementing the other businesses. “I wanted to keep the campiness and vibe of the collectibles and comic-book feel,” Kista says. “I’ve collected Barbies my entire life, so that was a natural choice. It’s been described as aggressively feminine, and I’m in love with it.”
The Heart of the Salon
The moment Kista started cosmetology school in her 20s, she knew right off she was headed in the right direction. “I loved it immediately,” she says. “It was perfect for me.”
She learned cuts, styles, color — all kinds of color — Brazilian blowouts, facial waxing, hair extensions, and just about everything else a client might ask for. (No perms, though. Don’t even ask.) She considers color her specialty; she loves the science and precision it requires.
Kista still participates in classes to keep up with the newest techniques and trends, but she believes the joy she brings to her job has played the biggest role in building her clientele. “The most important thing to me is that when somebody leaves my chair, they feel better than when they came in the door,” she says.
“You can have the best skills in the world, but if you can’t make an honest, emotional connection with people, you’ll never make it in this business. And it’s not just making somebody love the way I do their hair. I love my clients back. You can’t fake that, and I wouldn’t do my job any differently.”
An Unlikely Fit, but Right at Home
Aislynn Lupien, one of the tattoo artists at Sanctum, says having Kista in the building has brought a new spark. “We all have our own energies we bring to the space, and Kista brings her own, too,” she says.
It has also created some crossover appeal. “I think the comics especially have been a big treat for a lot of my guests,” Kista says. “The world of comics is so much bigger than your traditional superhero books, and I bring in some folks who wouldn’t normally have the opportunity to see it.”
Kista says her clients come from all walks of life. “I have every kind of person you could imagine,” she says, “from the ultra-professional to the laid-back college student. There does seem to be one thing that is true of people who stay with me long term — they tend to be open-minded and kind. They’re the kind of people that I would be friends with outside of work, and over the years that’s exactly what has happened.”
Today, Kista’s appointment book stays full through word of mouth. And she no longer meets her clients at the door. They know where to find her.
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Rosalind Fournier
A writer and editor since college, Rosalind Fournier grew up in Dallas and later moved to Birmingham by way of Nashville. She and her husband Brad have three fabulous children. She is a novice gardener, passionate about environmental causes, and a terrific bore at parties because she knows just enough about enough things to think you care.