Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Edwards.
Lisa, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I knew from a young age that I wanted to work in the beauty industry. I began my career in Connecticut before moving to San Francisco in 2011, where I had the opportunity to work at Cinta Salon and diPietro Todd. Those years gave me an incredible foundation in hair color, education, and the level of care and technical excellence I wanted to carry throughout my career.
In 2020, my husband, Andrew, and I moved to the Triangle and began imagining what it could look like to build something of our own here. We opened Sunday Salon in Cary in 2021 with a vision for a salon that felt highly personalized, education-driven, thoughtfully designed, and equally invested in the experience of our clients and the growth of our team.
Over the next several years, Sunday Salon grew beyond what we originally imagined. Our team expanded, our clientele grew, and we learned an enormous amount about the kind of business and culture we wanted to build. Eventually, we knew we needed a space that could support not only where we were, but where we wanted to go.
That led us to Raleigh Iron Works. As a Jamestown property, Iron Works stood out to us for its thoughtful approach to adaptive reuse and its vision for creating a destination centered around design, creativity, community, and experience. It felt very aligned with the direction Sunday Salon was heading and gave us the opportunity to create a space specifically around how we wanted our team and clients to experience the salon.
We opened our new location in June 2026 and were able to take everything we had learned in Cary and build the next evolution of Sunday Salon from the ground up. Every detail was considered, from the flow and design of the space to our Takara Belmont YUME shampoo systems, dedicated color and styling areas, and spaces for education and our staff to feel comfortable. More than anything, we wanted to create an environment where our team has the resources to continually grow in their craft and where our clients feel genuinely cared for.
Raleigh Iron Works feels like the clearest expression yet of what we have always wanted Sunday Salon to be. I’m incredibly proud of how far we’ve come, but I’m even more excited about what we’re building from here.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It certainly hasn’t been a smooth road, but I don’t think building something meaningful ever really is. Many of the challenges we’ve faced have ultimately shaped Sunday Salon into what it is today.
We opened our first location during a period of tremendous uncertainty, and from there, one of our biggest challenges was learning how to grow thoughtfully. Finding the right people, developing a strong team, maintaining a consistent standard of service, and protecting the culture we were building became increasingly important as the business grew. I’ve learned that growth creates its own set of challenges. What works for a small team doesn’t necessarily work for a larger one, and as a leader, you have to be willing to continually evaluate, adapt, and sometimes let go of the way you’ve always done things.
The move to Raleigh Iron Works was another significant undertaking. We weren’t simply relocating the salon; we were making a substantial investment in what we believed Sunday Salon could become. Designing and building a space of this scale required an entirely new level of decision-making, patience, and trust in the long-term vision, all while continuing to operate the business and support our team and clients.
There have absolutely been difficult moments, but I’ve become much more comfortable with the idea that challenges are part of growth. Each stage has required something different from me, and I think that willingness to keep learning has been one of the most important parts of getting us here.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
At my core, I’m a Master Colorist. Hair color has been my trade and my passion throughout my career, and even as my role has expanded as President and Creative Director of Sunday Salon, I still genuinely love the craft. There is something incredibly rewarding about understanding color at a technical level and then using that knowledge creatively to make something completely individual to the person sitting in my chair.
I think that same way of thinking has carried into how I approach Sunday Salon as a whole. I’m extremely detail-oriented and tend to notice things that can easily be overlooked. In color, the smallest decisions can completely change the end result, and I think experiences work the same way. Often, it’s the details someone may not consciously notice that determine how a space makes them feel.
I’m also constantly pulling inspiration from outside of the salon industry, whether that’s hospitality, design, travel, retail, or wellness. I pay attention to what makes an experience memorable and why, and then think about how we can interpret those ideas in a way that feels distinctly Sunday Salon. I have a very clear vision for what I believe in, and when I believe something can be better, I’m willing to put in the work to make it happen.
Our Raleigh Iron Works salon is probably the most complete expression of that to date. We considered everything from the architecture, materials, lighting, and client flow to stylist ergonomics, our color spaces, Takara Belmont YUME shampoo systems, and the parts of the salon a client may never see. Every detail serves a purpose.
What I’m most proud of, though, is that the vision has become much larger than me. We’ve built a team of incredibly talented hairstylists who bring their own strengths, specialties, and perspectives to Sunday Salon. Being able to remain connected to the craft I love while creating an environment where other professionals can grow in theirs has been one of the most rewarding evolutions of my career.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
My biggest advice would be to put your head down, do the work, and take full advantage of every opportunity you’re given. There really isn’t a shortcut to becoming great at what you do, and opportunities only become valuable if you’re willing to make something of them.
I’ve been an apprentice twice in my career, and those experiences taught me the importance of repetition, discipline, strong fundamentals, and being willing to learn from people who know more than you. Show up prepared, be dependable, ask questions, accept feedback, and apply it. If someone is willing to teach you, pay attention. If you find yourself in a room with people who are better than you, learn everything you can from being there.
I also believe in holding yourself to a high standard even when no one else is asking you to. I wanted to understand my craft deeply, particularly color, and that required years of education, practice, mistakes, and refinement. There were plenty of long days and periods of my career where the work wasn’t glamorous, but all of it mattered.
If I wish I had known anything earlier, it would probably be to trust that process. You don’t need to have your entire career mapped out. Work hard at what is in front of you, take the opportunities that come your way seriously, and be willing to go above and beyond when they do. One opportunity can lead to another, but you have to be prepared when the door opens.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sunday.salon
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sundaysalon_/
