Meek HD hair salon closes as owner Janelle Parsons eyes new challenge

After years of health and economic challenges a Sunshine Coast hairdresser made the difficult decision to close her salon, but she’s excited for what’s next.

After enduring years of challenges, Janelle Parsons says it’s now time to close her hair salon and pave the way for a greater role.

“It’s not a doomsday for me,” she said.

Ms Parsons was the proud owner of Meek HD, a much-loved hair salon at 1784 David Low Way, Coolum Beach since opening in 2013.

Ms Parsons, a single mother of two and cancer survivor, said it was a hard, emotional decision to close earlier this month, but was the right decision for her and her family.

Meek HD owner Janelle Parsons, second from left.

She made the call after encountering many hurdles in the past three years.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission shows MEEK HD PTY LTD ATF THE MEEK HD TRUST – trading as Meek HD – appointed a liquidator on July 19, 2022.

Ms Parsons said she battled issues such as the recent floods, Covid-19 lockdowns, stock supply issues, rising overheads and cost of living, which led to some clients cancelling appointments.

“And I still showed up every single day,” she said.

With these issues mounting and a new adventure in mind, Ms Parsons said she chose to close, and was proud of her legacy, saying her salon was designed to support the community – to do more than cut hair.

“It was a safe sanctuary for people to come and forget about their worries,” she said.

When packing up, Ms Parsons said she took good care of her landlord, clients, and staff.

She said she paid staff, offered advice and connected them with job opportunities. Ms Parsons also contacted her “loving” clients to share the news and thank them.

In the next chapter of her pursuit to help others, Ms Parsons said she was “excited” to facilitate workshops and programs to help others to unlearn trauma of generational abuse, and child and domestic violence.

“I’m not reinventing myself, I’m evolving,” she said.

Ms Parsons is the author of her memoir, House of Shadows, about child and generational abuse and domestic violence.

“I want to create a positive change,” she said.

Originally published as Meek HD hair salon closes as owner Janelle Parsons eyes new challenge