Welcome to Twelve27 salon

With a heavy heart, I am writing this to inform you that on April 1st, 2023, Twelve27 Salon will be closing its doors. I have a lot to say, and I appreciate you taking the time to read this letter, hear my heart and understand why I have chosen to make this decision as a business owner. 

In 2017 I opened Twelve27 Salon with my sister Veronica and what we experienced in the next two years was nothing short of lightning in a bottle! As the majority owner, I invested all of my personal finances into the new business, and Veronica and I remodeled the space without ever taking a penny from the bank.  We were so proud to open our doors as a debt-free business and felt confident that we would take Pittsburgh by storm with our vision, work ethic, and unique brand. That’s exactly what happened. 

We had incredible growth inside of our space and built a brand that we felt could last a lifetime and change the industry that I love so much.  We employed amazing men and women with incredible talent, drive, and commitment to their craft.  We hired stylists out of school and trained them to become successful behind the chair, understand the business of beauty, and empowered them to set and achieve high financial goals. 

In 2019 as a two-year-old business, we hit $1,000,000 in revenue with a staff of 25.  We were looking to open multiple locations and had begun training individuals inside our business to own part of that business and grow into a franchise in the next five years. We had it all, and things were only improving as we looked to the future… 

In March 2020, we closed our doors for 12 weeks due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. We re-opened in June 2020 with a team of 8 stylists as many chose to go out on their own, move to a different city or try a new career path. Veronica and I felt confident that we could pivot and make it back on our feet, and in many ways, we did.  By the end of 2021, six of our master stylists chose to go out on their own, start a business and begin their own journey.  In addition to losing many of our team members, Veronica and I made the difficult decision to end our business relationship – I bought her out in December 2021 and became the sole owner of Twelve27 Salon. 

In 2022, I fought hard and worked with everything in me to make the salon work for the benefit of the stylist.  I focused on growing my current team and ensuring they had a stable income, health benefits, paid time off, and a retirement plan they could look forward to in the future.  I changed our pricing and pay structure to reflect the benefit of the staff and give them opportunities that I didn’t see anywhere else in the Pittsburgh area.  It worked in many ways and created a business I was so proud to own.

Unfortunately, the damage done by the 2020 Covid-19 closure, split in ownership in 2021, rising prices of operating a business, and failing economy in 2022, I have made the decision that it is time to close our doors as I don’t feel confident that I can provide the environment for my team or guests that they deserve.  I have continued to push through and make countless personal sacrifices to ensure we can keep our doors open, but the reality is we can’t. 

I want to thank everyone currently working for Twelve27 and our past employees.  This salon would have been lost without you – the culture, the brand, and the incredible environment we created for our guests were all because of you!  Your incredible talent, welcoming personalities, and dedication to the vision of the company are something I will always be proud to be part of.  

To our loyal and amazing guests… Thank you!  Thank you for supporting our vision and committing your time and money to the stylists within our space.  Your smiling faces and one-of-a-kind personalities will be the number one thing that I will miss.  Having the opportunity to host you inside Twelve27 Salon for the past five years will forever be the greatest honor of my life, and I wish there was more I could do to continue on this journey with you! 

I have enjoyed being a leader inside this space. As hard as this decision has been for me, I can hold my head high, knowing that I did everything in my power to save what we had, but the obstacles in the way are too significant to overcome.  There are so many things I would do differently and decisions I wish I hadn’t made, but at the end of the day, I am proud of what I built and the opportunities I provided for countless stylists in the Pittsburgh area.  Being the owner of this incredible salon has been an amazing journey and one I will never forget.  I am a stylist at heart. I love interacting with people and helping them gain inward confidence from outward beauty, and my journey behind the chair is far from over.  I want to believe that one day I can come back as something new and better, but for now, I will take the necessary time to reflect on the past five years and refocus my energy to care for my clients and, ultimately, myself.

Thank you for reading this letter and hearing a bit about my journey since 2017.  I can not express to you enough how upset I am at the closing of this chapter, but I know my story is not over, and there is more to come from me in the future.  Pittsburgh is my home, and the people I have met over the last ten years in this incredible city have shown me kindness, support and incredible love.  I’m not going anywhere, but this door has closed and it is time to walk into the next.  

Hilary Ballard 

In the coming weeks, we will be in contact to let you know where your favorite stylists will be working, their schedules and how to make an appointment at their new salon home. 

You are welcome to make an appointment and visit our space one last time in March. 

To do so, you can call or request an appointment through this page.