Piersten Gaines wants to bring luxury to the textured hair community.
Her mission stems from several trips to the salon and not receiving proper care. She describes some visits as even “traumatic” after losing all her hair under the care of two licensed stylists.
Gaines would later attend Harvard Business School and conceptualized Texas-based silk blowout bar Pressed Roots following a class presentation that allowed her to pitch the concept to “Shark Tank” judge Kevin O’Leary.
“Once I matriculated into business school, I became hyper-aware that there was a huge underserved market who were searching for the same hair care experience that I had been searching for for years — one that was reliable, affordable, luxurious, and one where the stylists actually understood the needs of my hair texture,” she said in email interview with AFROTECH™. “That is how Pressed Roots was conceptualized. I envisioned a chain of luxury, silk blowout bars that celebrate and specialize in the specific needs of those with highly-textured hair.”
Transitioning From Pop-Up Model To Storefront
Gaines launched with a pop-up model in cities such as Boston, MA; Atlanta, GA, and Dallas, TX, to have a greater understanding of the specific preferences of customers and to determine market demand. By 2020, the salon’s first permanent location was established in Dallas. To ensure success, Gaines prioritized hiring a talent acquisition specialist as the first corporate hire, implementing training programs, and retaining stylists.
“The transition to a brick-and-mortar location opened our eyes to a whole new aspect of our business, particularly in regards to our workforce, and certainly influenced our business strategy,” she said.
Training
Among the reasons for Pressed Roots’ desirability is its styling method, which is guided by the business’ extensive boot camp to teach hairstylists how to master the blowout in one to two hours. Upon finishing, hairstylists must replicate the skill across various hair types and will be evaluated on their performance.
“Our Pressed Roots boot camp is all about creating masters in textured haircare. We start by diving deep into the world of textured hair,” Gaines explained. “Trainees first learn how to identify different textures, their unique characteristics, and the unique care requirements for optimal health. We pair that with a crash course on our products, so our stylists know exactly what each product does and how to use them. Once they’ve got the theory down, it’s time for hands-on action.”
The boot camp has been beneficial to hairstylist including Carlinn Esquilin, who carries more than a decade of experience in the industry. She credits the experience for learning the round brush technique, which helps produce an outcome with more volume.
“Training on texture hair is not a thing. This is why I appreciate so much Pressed Roots’ prioritization on textured hair,” she told AFROTECH™. “The training was an insightful, extensive, three-day experience called the Art of Texture Hair. The curriculum touched on product knowledge because the right product will enhance a good press. Through the training, I was able to master the ability to do texture hair with a round brush blowout, which gives you a different finish. I’ve been at Pressed Roots since May, and I feel like I have grown as a stylist in such a short time already.”
This bootcamp has ensured Pressed Roots can deliver on quality and provide an exceptional experience for its customers who are also provided with a complimentary bubbly, green juice, and Wi-Fi, its website lists.
Expansion
With a strong foundation, Pressed Roots expanded to Arlington, TX, and Plano, TX, by 2022, according to the Houston Chronicle. That year the company also earned $2 million in annual revenue, which rose to $3.5 million the next year, per Inc. magazine.
Building on this momentum, Pressed Roots scaled its presence to Houston, TX, in May 2024.
“Since opening our first store, we’ve been focused on creating repeatable systems and processes. We codified everything from salon design and layout to staff training and inventory management,” Gaines explained to AFROTECH™. “This standardized approach allowed us to rapidly expand our footprint across Texas.”
Funding
Pressed Roots has raised capital from notable investors, which include former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz’s Schultz Family Foundation, the Slauson & Co. firm, and tennis star Naomi Osaka, among others, as AFROTECH™ previously reported.
To secure investor support, Gaines acknowledged facing several challenges that were tied to her lack of experience in the sector and concerns around the profitability of the textured hair focus.
She overcame these obstacles by presenting data that demonstrated the value and necessity of the salon’s work in the marketplace, and by emphasizing her goals to disrupt the sector based on her knowledge of the salon experience and customer base.
“Many didn’t grasp the scale of the opportunity in the textured hair market… Another challenge was overcoming the perception that as a founder without a cosmetology background, I lacked the expertise to develop a solution for the textured hair market,” Gaines explained. “To counter this, I emphasized my deep understanding of the salon ecosystem as a lifetime salon customer and highlighted the power of an outsider’s perspective to drive innovation in the space. My strong business background and the comprehensive business plan I presented, outlining a clear path to profitability, also helped to alleviate investor concerns about my lack of industry experience.”
She added, “Lastly, Black women entrepreneurs often face additional biases. However, I was determined to let the business model and product speak for themselves. By demonstrating a clear demand for the services through successful pop-up shops in multiple markets, I was able to gain the trust of investors.”
The Vision
Looking ahead, Gaines plans to build on Pressed Roots’ legacy by bringing stores to more cities.
“Our goal is to reach as many women with textured hair as possible, and we are excited about our growing community of people who trust us with their hair! In the coming years, we will be looking to expand our footprint in even more cities and find new ways of providing even greater access to incredible haircare services,” Gaines expressed.
