This weekend the Washington Post covered a Hairstylist/Inventor: Tamara Chapman Dolton, founder of Office Cuts.
Washington PostTamara has one patent app and one patent--
1. US20070022561-- PORTABLE HAIRSTYLISTS' STATION AND METHOD
A portable hair stylists' station includes a case and a vacuum cleaner, the vacuum cleaner including a canister associated with the case and a hose connected to a suction opening of the canister.
2. 7,472,455-- PORTABLE HAIRSTYLISTS' STATION AND METHOD
A portable hair stylists' station includes a case and a vacuum cleaner, the vacuum cleaner including a canister associated with the case and a hose connected to a suction opening of the canister. A method for conducting a hairstyling business is also disclosed.
From the Post article:
At first, Tamara, who incorporated Office Cuts in 2002, had clients sit in a wheeled conference chair that she would borrow on-site. But she considers herself "an inventor, a solution finder," and she kept looking for the right equipment to create a portable hairstyling studio. So she fashioned a rolling suitcase filled with everything she needs: a hydraulic chair base, a drop cloth for the floor, a drape for the client, sanitary neck strips, an apron, tools, sanitizers, hair products, front and back mirrors and a small industrial vacuum with a hose that fits through a hole in the suitcase. A boat seat folds over the handle of the case. Tamara says the salon takes five minutes to set up.
Tamara applied for a patent on the rolling studio in 2005; the process took 3 years and a visit to the patent office. "I'm a very positive thinker," she said, adding that she told her skeptical patent lawyer, "I want you to write it as if you think you're going to get it." In the meantime, the Alexandria resident has built up her customer base: Office Cuts now has regular hours and serves 40 to 50 clients a month at eight Northern Virginia office buildings housing companies such as Mitre and Booz Allen Hamilton. To help her keep up with the demand, Tamara has hired two part-time stylists. "Our target is anybody who needs a haircut, and they're short on time."
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