PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — After opening Studio Maven in May, first-time business owner and hair stylist Mikaela Sue Henninger hopes to continue the friendships she has formed with clientele since returning home in 2016.
Located at 55 State Road in Presque Isle, Studio Maven features three mirror stations where Henninger offers hair, lash and brow services. Henninger worked at Ulta Beauty in Bangor after earning her cosmetology certification.
In 2016 Henninger returned to her hometown and gained experience as a hair stylist at local salons, including Great Beginnings Hair Boutique and Bella Vita. With Studio Maven, Henninger has realized her goal of operating her own business.
PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — July 30, 2021 — Studio Maven, located on 55 State Road, offers hair, lash and brow services. (Melissa Lizotte | The Star Herald)
Henninger noted that her salon’s name comes from her desire to make the salon an open and friendly place for her clientele. The word “maven” is a synonym for “expert,” and Henninger wants her customers to feel free to ask questions while she works.
“The hair styling world can feel intimidating and when you’re in that world it’s easy to take that for granted. I want to create a space where everyone can be an expert,” Henninger said. “I’m very chill and laid back, so I want people to feel comfortable here.”
As a lifelong resident of Presque Isle, Henninger knows the value of community connectedness. She said that family, friends and even fellow salon owners have been supportive as she looks to carve her own niche in the industry.
The opening of Studio Maven also comes at a time of great personal change for Henninger. She and her husband Zachary Henninger will welcome their first child, a girl, in late August. She is also stepmom to Zachary’s 5-year-old son Chance.
“It’s exciting to have the business growing at the same time that our family is growing,” Henninger said.
For Henninger, her work not only means serving her clients but getting to know them like family. During a recent hair coloring, Raylee Shaw of Caribou, a longtime client of Henninger’s, said that their conversations are the best part of her visits to Studio Maven.
“She’s a very open-minded person and has created a good atmosphere for people to be in,” Shaw said. “I come because I enjoy the interactions that we’ve had.”
The feeling is mutual for Henninger, who said that forming relationships with different people is what drew her to cosmetology.
“When you meet people in this business, you really get to know them. There are clients I met when they were in high school who are now going to college and getting married,” Henninger said. “I like talking to people and getting to be part of their lives.”
